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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29879184">A Ray Of Hope (BanG Dream X Male Reader)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/VicTheAnimeWeebYT/pseuds/VicTheAnimeWeebYT'>VicTheAnimeWeebYT</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dark, Drama, F/M, Manga &amp; Anime, Music, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 02:54:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>39,315</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29879184</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/VicTheAnimeWeebYT/pseuds/VicTheAnimeWeebYT</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>So some of my friends couldn't read the fanfic that I was working on at wattpad, so thought of yoinking it over here. Hope you all enjoy!  </p>
<p>Y/N L/N is your average high schooler, who moved out from his family and its been a year since then. Spending a year alone, the depression and loneliness crawl upon him until he meets a group of girls who are having fun making music. How will Y/N's life change from this encounter?</p>
<p>Note: The characters are from the popular Japanese franchise, BanG Dream!, and I do not own any of the characters.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Fated Meeting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>Nobody's POV</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>Y/N L/N is your average second-year high school student.  He moved out and stayed apart from his family for almost a year, but the lingering thoughts of the things he didn't want to remember still haunts him. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Y/</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>N's</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em> POV</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>All I saw were silhouettes and some eyes, all staring at me. Two of those pair of eyes were filled with rage, another pair with absolute disgust, and another pair with fake innocence.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO MY DAUGHTER, LET ALONE YOUR FRIEND?!</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>???: WHY ARE YOU SITTING THERE SILENTLY, APOLOGIZE TO HIM NOW!!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I got scared. I recognise that voice being my dad's but never have I heard it this loud before, sending chills down my spine.</p>
<p>I quickly bowed down to one of the silhouette's feet</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO ALL THIS! PLEASE FORGIVE-<br/><br/><br/></p>
<p>I opened my eyes to see the familiar sight of the ceiling, sunlight entering the room from the small slit of a gap between the curtains which I see every morning</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: <em>That dream again huh? </em><em>Goddammit</em><em>...</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I took my phone which I left to recharge on the nightstand to see the time being 6:52 am.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: OH COME ON! I WANTED TO WAKE UP AT 7:30! NOW I CAN'T GO BACK ASLEEP BECAUSE OF THAT DAMN NIGHTMARE<em>. </em>Ah well<em>, </em>guess I'll make myself some breakfast for the first time since forever<em>.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I dismissed the alarm I set and set out to make myself some breakfast.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>A few minutes later</b>
</p>
<p>Y/N: Ah, that breakfast was blissful!!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I said to myself and I set out to go to school. I live in the downtown area, mainly because it's near the school I go to, and the shopping district is pretty nearby too, so if I need to buy any necessities, I could get it nearby.</p>
<p>I plugged my earphones on and played some Raining Blood by Slayer in there as I start my morning hustle to school. It wasn't really far away so I didn't have to run or anything, just a casual walk. But before that, I should probably buy something for me to eat during lunch, probably I should swing by Yamabuki Bakery and buy some bread.</p>
<p>I got into Yamabuki Bakery and I was greeted by a girl with a curly brown hair worn in a high ponytail, tied up with a ribbon, called Saaya.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Saaya: Welcome to Yama- Oh, Y/N! Good morning! A rare sight to see you here in the morning.</p>
<p>Y/N: Oh, hey Saaya, I wanted to buy some melon bread<em>.</em></p>
<p>Saaya: How many of them?</p>
<p>Y/N: Two.</p>
<p>Saaya: Ok, here you go! Two pieces of Melon Bread<em>.</em></p>
<p>Y/N: Aight, here is the money.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I walked out of the shop, stuffed the bread into my bag, put my earphones back and played my song again, and started my walk to school</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>Saaya's</b>
  </em>
  <em>
    <b> POV</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Well, I tried to start a conversation with him, again. But it looks like it's not working. I wonder why he doesn't want to have a conversation... I mean, it's not even 7:30 and school starts at 8, and the school is nearby too so there's no rush either. He's always been like this, I wonder why...</em>
</p>
<p>Suddenly mom came by.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mom: Saaya, why don't you start heading to school now? We will take care of the shop for now.</p>
<p>Saaya: Ok mom, don't push yourself too hard!<br/><br/></p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>No One's POV</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>A swarm of girls were entering the school, and among them stood out one boy, and that was Y/N.</p>
<p>Yes, Y/N studies in a girl's school, specifically Hanasakigawa Girls High School. Y/N's father set him up there on his first year of high school to 'repent for his actions' and made it happen via some connections he had.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Y/</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>N's</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em> POV</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>I hate crowds, especially the one in front of my school in the morning. I feel so out of place in the crowd, and I hate it so much.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I start to manoeuvre through the crowd and finally made it in. Hanasakigawa is such a nice school, with a big yard in the middle, it must be fun for everyone to hang out during lunch. <em>Ah, if only if I could afford that sort of luxury...</em> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I finally made it into my class and there are a lot fewer people in there as I enter. My seat was at near the windows, like every anime protagonist ever. I went and sat down, just listening to music and drifting into my thoughts as I look out to the window.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Y/N: I've always wondered where I went wrong, what I did to deserve this. I don't talk to the girls at all because, since the day I got into this school, being the only boy here, all the girls are literally staring darts at me. I can't even get to approach them, not like I want to. I lost my trust in them the moment that incident happened. Then again, if I'd try to talk to them, they'd think I'm some sort of pervert or something... well at least something like that is not spread around, yet. I hope they don't dig up my past.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And all of a sudden, my music stopped. I pulled my phone and looked, my queue ended. Since there are only a few minutes left, thought I'd get my book on the table and wait. I kept hearing some chit-chat so I thought I'd listen in.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Girl 1: Hey, I heard they are gonna show us the results of the exams we wrote last week.</p>
<p>Girl 2: Whaaaaa... I'm gonna fail so miserably!</p>
<p>Girl 3: Me too!!! Also, did you do the homework we got yesterday? We got maths first and she is gonna chew us up if we don't finish it.</p>
<p>Girl 1: Oh no, I forgot to do it, hey did you do it? If so, can you lend so I can copy?</p>
<p>Girl 3: Ok, but make sure it doesn't look the same.</p>
<p>Girl 2: Me too!</p>
<p>Y/N: <em>AH SHIT! I FORGOT TO DO MY HOMEWORK! Oh wait, it's maths. Guess she is gonna chew me up today. Also the exam results... I am not looking for it.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>And all of a sudden, our teacher swiftly entered the classroom. We did the usual stand and bow and sat down on our seats.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Teacher: Ok girls, and<em> boy, </em>I'm gonna start giving you all the results for the exam we had yesterday.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As one of the students went to the teacher and received all the results, they started passing to each other, and finally, I got mine.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: <em>Ah, crap. 25 per cent for maths and 33 per cent for physics, guess I failed. And I got a 60+ for all the other subjects, English being my highest with a percentage of 98.</em></p>
<p>Teacher: Y/N! Do you have any plans to actually pass the exams or what!?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She was so loud that I almost jumped.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Sorry, Teach! I'll try to get better next time!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>All of a sudden, that darted stares of everyone has arrived. I bowed and closed my eyes so that I can go through it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Teacher: You know what? Since you are the only boy in here, we can't have you fail...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She then takes a quick scan of the classroom<em>.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Teacher: Arisa? Since you have the highest percentage of the bunch, I want you to teach Y/N his weak subjects after classes, will you?</p>
<p>Arisa: Huh?! But Sensei, I got student council work and stuff!</p>
<p>Teacher: Teach him during the days when you don't have student council work, should be easy!</p>
<p>Arisa: Okay...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Arisa silently sat back to her seat, looking pretty disappointed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Arisa's</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em> POV</em>
  </b>
  <em>:</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Arisa<em>: Ugh, I really wanted to get back home today and work on my bonsai. Heck, I didn't even plan to come to school today. Damn, that </em><em>Kasumi</em><em>... Now I got to teach that dude Y/N. GOD, WHY ME???</em></p>
<p>Teacher: Y/N, I hope you can pass the next exam, we can't have you fail.</p>
<p>Y/N: Aight, Teach. I'll try my best!</p>
<p>Arisa: <em>The way he talks to Sensei... it seems as if he is putting up a show and doesn't even care... ah well, I hope he isn't annoying like </em><em>Kasumi</em><em> or O-Tae.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Y/</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>N's</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em> POV</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>Welp, there goes my naps at 4 when I get back home. Well, guess I'll just drift back into my thoughts and skip time so the readers won't get bored.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>Time Skip, After classes</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>Ah, another boring day. Usual stuff, guess I'll head back home now.</p>
<p>I packed my stuff and I was about to leave until-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: Hey you! Where do you think you are going!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I turned around and saw Arisa, looking pretty pissed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Uhhh, I was about to go ho- oh wait, extra classes.</p>
<p>Arisa: Yes, now come with me to the student council room, since there aren't any meetings there today, it should be a good place to study.</p>
<p>Y/N: Aight, lead the way.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I kept my distance and followed Arisa to the student council room. I kept feeling like people are darting stares at me again. I swear to God I can't walk around in peace here. Thanks, dad.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And finally, we made it to the student council room, I took a seat and Arisa sat opposite to me.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Arisa: So, can you show me your exam results?</p>
<p>Y/N: Sure.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I gave it to her and she was quite surprised by my percentage.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Arisa: Wow, I've been thinking that Sensei was exaggerating, but you do suck. You look like a nerd, but your percentage doesn't match up.</p>
<p>Y/N: The only thing I've got going for is my looks, I look like a nerd because of these stupid glasses. Also, maths and physics are beyond me and everyone's got their strength and weakness, if that's all, can we get on with maths?</p>
<p>Arisa: <b>*sigh*</b> Ok, but before we do, can I ask something?</p>
<p>Y/N: Yea, sure?</p>
<p>Arisa: Why join this school? You don't talk to anyone else and you don't score a lot of marks either, then why-</p>
<p>Y/N: It's something pretty complicated and I don't want to talk about it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I knew this question was gonna come up soon enough. I can't reveal my past to anyone, especially to a girl, mainly because 1. they would feel disgusted by it 2. I lost my trust in them a long time ago.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There was an awkward silence and I knew I had to do something about it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Well then! Shall we begin?</p>
<p>Arisa: Okay...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Time Skip, While Teaching</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Arisa's POV</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Arisa: <em>Okay, this guy is pretty good from the looks of it. He can grasp the concept pretty easily and learns quickly too. I think I could finish a chapter or two quickly.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I gave him a question to solve, but that's when I noticed something weird. There are scars on his left arm right below where his watch strap is. Meh, probably just a flesh wound.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Time Skip, After a Couple of Hours</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Y/</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>N'S</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em> POV</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So, time passed byand its almost time. Arisa really is a nerd, she teaches pretty well too. Maybe I'll get by the next exam.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Arisa: So, Y/N, I think that's about it for today. We will continue the next time when I don't have a student council meeting.</p>
<p>Y/N: Thanks Arisa. You really are a good teacher!</p>
<p>Arisa: I know....you idiot.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Woah, tsundere mode.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Arisa: Hey Y/N, I've been curious about something...</p>
<p>Y/N: Yeah, sure wassup?</p>
<p>Arisa: That sca-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>All of a sudden, the student council room door opened to show a gang of three girls, out of which two of them I am familiar with because they are in my class, but I don't recall two of their names. One of them had brown hair worn loose with segments pulled up into star-shaped buns, another girl who has a straight, waist length, black hair, and lastly a shy looking girl with short black hair.</p>
<p>???: ARISAAAAAAA~</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Woah she seems energetic.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Arisa: Woah, Kasumi?! What are you doing!?</p>
<p>Kasumi:  I MISSED YOU SO MUCH! </p>
<p>Arisa: IT'S BEEN LIKE WHAT, 2 HOURS? GET OFF ME!!!<br/><br/></p>
<p>Arisa was trying to get her off of her waist, but she wouldn't budge.<br/><br/>???: K-Kasumi-chan, y-you might want to leave her. Y-Y/N is watching.<br/><br/></p>
<p>All of a sudden, Kasumi left Arisa and went back to the group.<br/><br/></p>
<p>Arisa: Sorry about that, Y/N. She is usually like this<br/><br/>Y/N: Yea, no worries.<br/><br/>???: Oh, so you are the Y/N I keep hearing about.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Someone spoke from behind me, I literally jumped.<br/><br/></p>
<p>Y/N: HOLY- Oh damn, don't scare me like that.<br/><br/></p>
<p>I noticed that 'Kasumi' and the black-haired girl both had guitars on their back. Wonder if they play it together or something.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: D-Do you remember us?<br/><br/>Y/N: If I'm being honest, I do recognise you two, but I don't remember your names, even though we are in the same class...<br/><br/>Kasumi: Guess we should introduce ourselves, My name is Kasumi Toyama, and I love sparkling and heart-pounding stuff!<br/><br/><br/></p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Okay, that last part was kinda weird...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: My name is Hanazono Tae, I play the guitar and I love rabbits.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Huh, looks like a bit of an airhead from the way she speaks...<br/><br/></p>
<p>???:  M-My name is Ushigome R-Rimi, nice to meet you,  Y-Y/N san.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Woah, she's kinda cute. She's kinda shy though, but still cute.<br/><br/></p>
<p>Kasumi: Arisaa~, introduce yourself too.<br/><br/>Arisa: Huh!? Why should I? He already knows me.</p>
<p>Tae: Join us too, Arisa.<br/><br/>Arisa: Ugh, fine. I am Ichigaya Arisa. Nice to meet you.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Still being a tsundere. I see.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kasumi: And together, we are Poppin'Party! Oh wait, Saaya is missing today...</p>
<p>Poopy-what? Also Saaya?</p>
<p><br/>Y/N: What's the Poppin'Party you just mentioned?<br/><br/>Kasumi: We are a band! I play the guitar and sing the vocals! O-Tae is the lead guitarist, Rimi-Rin plays the bass, Arisa plays the piano and Saaya plays the drums!<br/><br/></p>
<p>Huh, the bakery girl plays the drums, never struck me as a drummer but oh well, the more you know...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Well, I'll introduce myself as well. My name is Y/N L/N. Nice to meet you.<br/><br/>Kasumi: Hey, Y/N? Can we ask you for something?<br/><br/></p>
<p>Hmm, I wonder what?<br/><br/></p>
<p>Y/N: Yea, sure. What's up?<br/><br/>Kasumi: Please come to Poppin'Party's live show in two days!<br/><br/></p>
<p>Wait, what?<br/><br/></p>
<p>Arisa: Hey, Kasumi!? You don't go out asking for people you just met for favours and such!<br/><br/>Kasumi: But, Y/N looks like a pretty exciting person. I want him to watch one of our lives!<br/><br/>Arisa: But, Kasu-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I stepped in.<br/><br/></p>
<p>Y/N: Yea, I will. I got nothing to do at the weekend, so I'll hop by and watch your live.<br/><br/>Kasumi: Thank you, Y/N! You are gonna love it!<br/><br/>Y/N: I hope so.<br/><br/></p>
<p>Kasumi then gave me a ticket for their live show. Hmm, Live House Galaxy huh? It's not that far, so it shouldn't be a pain.<br/><br/>And thus my boring and dull life took a complete U-turn, but for the better.<br/><em><b><br/></b></em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>To Be Continued...<br/><br/>A/N: Hey, guys! Vic here! I shall inform you all that I'm pretty new to this, so if I contradict or make some blunders or the characters don't feel like themselves, feel free to correct me. Thank you for reading! I'll write up the next chapter soon!<br/><br/></b>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Step x Step</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b> <em>2 Days Later</em> </b>
</p>
<p><b> <em>Y/</em> </b> <b> <em>N's</em> </b> <b> <em> POV</em> </b></p>
<p>Ah, it's the weekend. How I love weekends! Don't have to go to school, can get some alone time too.</p>
<p>I say that as I pick up my phone, I got the reminder from my calendar app about the Poppin'Party live show today.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N:<em> Damn, and here I thought I could spend the day at home... Should I bail and spend the day? Nah, probably I shouldn't...</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Suddenly my phone started ringing, and when I took a look, it's Mom. I answered the phone...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mom: Hello dear, how are you?</p>
<p>Y/N: Hi mom, I'm doing well.</p>
<p>Mom: Well, I called you to let you know that you won't get your allowance for the next month.</p>
<p>Y/N: WHAT!? WHY?</p>
<p>Mom: Well... Your dad is in a bit of a pinch financially, so if we do send you some money, we are gonna be in a bit of trouble...</p>
<p>Y/N: Okay, mom. I understand I'll look for a part-time job or something.</p>
<p>Mom: Oh? Is my son being productive? Wow, am I dreaming?</p>
<p>Y/N: If that's all, can we end this conversation. Don't you have work to get back too?</p>
<p>Mom: Oh right! I'll call you later today.</p>
<p>Y/N: Okay, Mom...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The call ended.</p>
<p>My family isn't the richest yet not the poorest. My mom works as a nurse, and my dad works as a Sales Manager in a food company. My dad's job has been the most unstable. He's been getting fired from every company after a year and he's been jumping here and there since forever. Basically, we live off my mom's income during the majority of our lives. My sister, well she is studying overseas.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: <em>Well, guess I'll make myself some lunch and start heading over to Galaxy</em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>A few minutes later</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>Y/N: <em>Gotta lock the door... And I'm off.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I left my apartment complex and started to walk. I took my earphones, placed it on my ears, and started to listen to my playlist I often listen to.</p>
<p>I love music. I literally love any type of music, as long as the melody is good. I could be listening to Through the Fire and The Flames at one moment and then listen to some EDM stuff. I got a pretty diverse (or bland) taste in music. I've always wanted to play the guitar though, but never have I ever had that push or desire to learn it. Probably because I'm lazy to work on it or scared that my fingers might get injured. But I'm looking for that one final push...</p>
<p>But my music taste and my dilemma to learn the guitar is a reflection of who I am as a person. Several interests, but can't turn it into a passion, and thus no ambition...</p>
<p>That's why I can't study. Imagine doing something that you are not even interested to see what the end product is going to be. I'd call it a waste of time, and that's what I think about studying. I got no ambitions, 'just go with the flow' is what I think I should do. But then again, I gotta pass my exams the next time, for at least Arisa's sake, since she put the effort to teach me...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> <b>A few minutes later</b> </em>
</p>
<p>I finally made it to Live House Galaxy and HOLY CRAP ITS JAM PACKED! Never knew Poppin'Party were that famous...</p>
<p>I went and joined the queue, and after a while, I reached the counter, where a blue-haired girl, tied with a scrunchie full of stars, wearing glasses stood.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Girl: Ti-Ticket, please?</p>
<p>Y/N: Oh, sure...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I gave the ticket to the girl and I got permission to go in.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: <em>Woah, it's jam-packed in here... They are selling glow sticks and such... Probably I should get one.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I went ahead and bought myself a pair of glow sticks as I waited for the live show to begin</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> <b>A few minutes later</b> </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> <b>Poppin'Party's POV</b> </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kasumi: Saaya~, did you get the drum kits modified?</p>
<p>Saaya: Yea, I got them set up from Edogawa Music... Can't wait to try them out!</p>
<p>Tae: Arisa, that keytar makes you look like a guitarist. Our band looks like it has three guitarists, hehehe...</p>
<p>Arisa: Cut it out, O-Tae!</p>
<p>Rimi: I w-wonder if she will get the message that we want to convey...</p>
<p>Kasumi: Of course she will! We are talking about Rock! But I wonder if he came...</p>
<p>Saaya: He? Who did you invite?</p>
<p>Rimi: Ka-Kasumi-chan invited Y/N to the live show...</p>
<p>Saaya: WHAT!? How did you guys even strike a conversation with him? He comes to my bakery and he is a regular customer, but never have I had a proper conversation with him, like ever.</p>
<p>Arisa: Well, it happened when I was done teaching Y/N some maths, and I was about to ask him about something... But then Kasumi, O-Tae and Rimi came by. We introduced ourselves and Poppin'Party! and then Kasumi invited him to the live show.</p>
<p>Tae: You were going to ask Y/N something? What was it, a date~?</p>
<p>Arisa: NOOOOO!! I don't have time for those! Anyways I guess it's time for us to get on stage...</p>
<p>Kasumi: Well then, let's have fun like we always do!</p>
<p>Everyone: PO-PI-PA PI-PO-PA PO-PI-PA-PO-PI-PO-PA!!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> <b>Y/</b> </em> <em> <b>N's</b> </em> <em> <b> POV</b> </em></p>
<p>As I stood there for the show to begin, I heard something from behind the stage...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: PO-PI-PA PI-PO-PA PO-PI-PA-PO-PI-PO-PA!!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>What? The heck is that tongue twister...</p>
<p>And then... The spotlight lit up, in front of us appeared five girls, all of them wore a white dress but their collars, bows and their accessories being different colours.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kasumi: We are Poppin'Party! It's nice to meet you!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But I started to hear the crowd looking with visible confusion...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: Their piano and guitar...</p>
<p>???: Looks different from their usual set up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I looked and I saw Arisa holding her piano like a guitar, think its called a keytar or something. And Saaya standing, without her pedals and her bass drum...</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Kasumi: We are insanely excited about our first performance of the prelims!</p>
<p>Prelims? Prelims of what?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rimi: I-If you enjoyed the show, we would be forever grateful for your votes!</p>
<p>What? Votes? What, is there a competition going on or something?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kasumi: Okay! Let's get poppin' with a brand new song!</p>
<p>Hmm, a new song. Should be good.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tae: This song was written with a very dear friend of ours in mind.</p>
<p>Oh, a new song dedicated to a friend, how nice...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rimi: Even though she's going through a tough time right now, we wanted to send her some words of encouragement and remind her to never give up on chasing her dreams!</p>
<p>Wow, they look pretty caring. Must be blessed to have a set of friends like them...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Arisa: The five of us are singing this time around.</p>
<p>Saaya: Please listen to us!</p>
<p>Kasumi: "Step x Step"!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Silence fell upon the room as Arisa started playing a beautiful melody with her piano. Saaya starts to beat her snare drums in a marching rhythm, and the rest of them starts to march to the rhythm. (Note, Lyrics format: Japanese-English)</p>
<p>
  <iframe></iframe>
</p>
<p><em>Sā</em><em> Step×Step! Step×Step!</em><br/><em>Mō</em> <em>utsumukanaide</em><br/><em>(</em><em>Mirai</em><em> no kimi ga </em><em>yondeiru</em><em> yo)</em><br/><em>Lock on! Lock dream!</em><br/><em>Ima wo </em><em>fumishimete</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Hey, step by step! Step by step!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Don't look down anymore!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Your future self is calling you</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Lock on! Lock dream!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Step firmly through now</em>
</p>
<p><em>Tachisukunde</em> <em>ugokenakunatta</em><em> toki</em><br/><em>Watashitachi</em><em> no </em><em>taisetsuna</em> <em>tomodachi</em><em> wa――</em><br/><em>Yume mo suki mo </em><em>ushinattari</em> <em>shinaitte</em> <em>shinjiteiru</em><br/><em>"Yume" wo </em><em>tomenaide</em> <em>nē</em><br/><em>"Suki" mo </em><em>tomenaide</em> <em>nē</em></p>
<p>
  <em>When you're paralyzed and can't move</em>
  <br/>
  <em>My dear friend</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Believe you won't lose your dreams and interests</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Don't stop dreaming</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Don't stop liking</em>
</p>
<p><em>Kanjiru</em> <em> mama ni Go for it!</em><br/><em>Hitoribocchi</em> <em> janai yo</em><br/><em>Omoi</em> <em> no mama ni――</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Once you sense it, go for it!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>You're not alone</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Keep that in mind!</em>
</p>
<p>As she was about to sing the chorus, she made eye contact with someone from behind and sang-</p>
<p><em>"</em><em>Hashiri</em> <em>dasō</em><em> yo!"</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Start running!</em>
</p>
<p><em>Hora Step×Step! Step×Step!</em><br/><em>Sono shushu wo </em><em>hazushite</em> <em>misete</em><br/><em>(</em><em>Hontō</em><em> no kimi ni)</em><br/><em>Ima nara </em><em>nareru</em> <em>hazu</em><br/><em>Akiramenai</em> <em>kujikenai</em><br/><em>Dareka</em><em> no tame janai</em><br/><em>(Kimi no </em><em>mirai</em><em> wa kimi no mono)</em><br/><em>Lock on! Lock dream!</em><br/><em>Yume wo </em><em>oikakete</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Hey step by step! Step by step!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Why not try taking off that scrunchie?</em>
  <br/>
  <em>You should be able to turn</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Into your true self!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Don't give up! Don't lose hope!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>This isn't for someone else</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Your future belongs to you</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Lock on! Lock dream!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Chase your dreams!</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I looked at the stage with shock and awe... I have never seen a performance as uplifting as this. This song... This song might be that last push I'm looking for! This song makes me want to play the guitar! This makes me want to have a passion, a dream, and makes me want to work hard for it!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b> <em>After the Live Show</em> </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b> <em>Back Stage</em> </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b> <em>Poppin'Party's POV</em> </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Saaya: Phew, that was one heck of a performance!</p>
<p>Kasumi: THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN!</p>
<p>Arisa: My wrists hurt... Ugh, someone take me home...</p>
<p>Rimi: Arisa-chan? Hang in there!</p>
<p>Tae: I wonder where Rock went...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b> <em>A few minutes later</em> </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b> <em>Outside of the Live House</em> </b>
</p>
<p><b> <em>Y/</em> </b> <b> <em>N's</em> </b> <b> <em> POV</em> </b></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Wow, that was such a wonderful performance! They really did shine brightly on the stage, like a sparkly star. Are they the ray of hope I'm looking for? To escape from this hell I'm living in...</p>
<p>All of a sudden, I heard someone from behind.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: Y/N!!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As I turned around, I saw everyone from Poppin'Party and Kasumi running onto me.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kasumi: Y/N! Y/N! Did you watch our performance!</p>
<p>Y/N: Yea, I did. It was pretty nice. I like the added touch of you all marching to add effect to the lyrics!</p>
<p>Saaya: Hehe, thank you for the compliments, Y/N!</p>
<p>Y/N: For real though, that was a really uplifting performance. Your song did justice and all those people there, not only your friend, would be motivated in what they follow.</p>
<p>Arisa: Wow, big words from the silent man. How about you start walking back home and start studying!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ahhh, I totally forgot about that.</p>
<p>Y/N: Okay guys! I'm gonna go back home now. I hope you guys take care!</p>
<p>BYE!!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As I walked back home, that performance was still being played in my mind</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: <em>That was amazing...</em></p>
<p>
  <em> <b>To be continued</b> </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Bonds of the Roses are Beautiful When it Blooms</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>The Next Day</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>Y/N's POV:</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>After that live show by Poppin'Party, I went back home, and that performance was being replayed in my mind the whole time. Whatever I tried to do, it keeps coming back into my mind.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: AH DAMN IT!!! IT'S NOT GETTING OUT OF MY HEAD!!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Then I remembered how I felt after watching that performance...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: <em>This song might be that last push I'm looking for! This song makes me want to play the guitar! This makes me want to have a passion, a dream, and makes me want to work hard for it!</em></p>
<p>I covered my face in embarrassment as I recall thinking that... As a person who's been living his life with the philosophy of 'go with the flow and do whatever', and then suddenly things like this comes into his mind, things that contradict his philosophy, of course, he would be embarrassed!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: <em>Well at least I gotta search up for a guitar, would be handy to learn how to learn it...</em></p>
<p>And thus I started my search for a guitar, I remember there being a music store in town but my lazy butt can't move an inch, so I thought I'd look on the internet. As I scrolled through, several guitars peaked my interests, primarily some ESP's, but a certain guitar struck me... A .strandberg* Boden J6 Standard.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Y/N: <em>OOO, THAT LOOKS SO </em><em>GOOOOOD</em><em>. I wonder if it is even a suitable beginners guitar...</em></p>
<p>As I looked at the price, my jaw dropped to the ground. 233,879 yen... Even my monthly allowance couldn't cover that. As I thought that a memory struck me hard. Mom told me that I won't be getting any allowances for a while.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Guess I have no choice but to search for a part-time job. Ah damn, this is gonna be a pain.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>A few minutes later</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>I've been searching for a job for a while, but to no success until I noticed a posting showing that a live house is searching for employees.</p>
<p>Y/N: <em>Live House CiRCLE huh? Well, if I could get a job here, I could also get an idea of how the equipment works too... guess I'll try.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>As I entered the live house, I was greeted by a woman with black hair with her fringe neatly sorted to her right with a bob cut all the way to her shoulder, wearing a white-blue horizontal lines shirt with a black cardigan.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: Welcome to Live House CiRCLE, how may I help you?</p>
<p>Y/N: There was a poster outside that you were searching for employees? I was interested in working part-time here.</p>
<p>???: Well then, you're hired!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Wait for real? That was quick...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: My name is Marina and I am your boss from now on. Nice to meet you!</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Y/N: The name is Y/N L/N, a pleasure to work with you.</p>
<p>Marina: So, which days will you be working?</p>
<p>Y/N: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, because I am not busy with school at those days.</p>
<p>Marina: Okay! You gotta arrive here at 10 in the morning during the weekends though, we are pretty understaffed...</p>
<p>Y/N: Will do, so I'm gonna head out now. I'll see you tomorrow, boss.</p>
<p>Marina: Okay, see you tomorrow at work!</p>
<p>Y/N: Oh yeah, I forgot to give my number. Here you go.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I managed to exchange numbers and I made my way out of the live house. Well, here's hoping that I won't get a pile of work.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>The Next Day</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>I got up as usual in the morning, and start heading to school. As usual, I decided to hop by Yamabuki Bakery to buy some lunch.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Saaya: Welcome to Yamabuki Bakery! Oh, Y/N! Haven't seen you since the live!</p>
<p>Y/N: Hi, Saaya! Oh yeah, I've been lazy to get out of home, hehe... Anyways, I'm pretty surprised that you would play the drums if I'm being honest.</p>
<p>Saaya: Haha.. I've been playing with some friends of mine before playing with Popipa. To be honest, it's so fun to drum again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I and Saaya had a pretty long conversation to the point I forgot to get what I wanted</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Oh yeah, I'm working at a live house as a part-timer now.</p>
<p>Saaya: Oh? Which live house?</p>
<p>Y/N: Live House CiRCLE.</p>
<p>Saaya: Oh, you should be able to meet some of our band friends over there.</p>
<p>???: Saaya? Isn't it time for you to go to school?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I heard a voice from behind the counter, could be Saaya's mom.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Saaya: Oh damn! We are running late now!</p>
<p>Y/N: Oh wait! I came here to buy lunch! Oh, I'll be late if we stick around...</p>
<p>Saaya: Mind if you join me and Popipa for lunch today?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Woah, lunch with 5 other girls? I'm gonna die of embarrassment.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: I'll think about it. But for now, let's start running to school.</p>
<p>Saaya: Sure! Mom, I'm leaving!</p>
<p>Mom: See you later Saaya!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>A few minutes later</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>Saaya's</b>
  </em>
  <em>
    <b> POV</b>
  </em>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>I am so beat... I've been rushing to school all the time but this is the first time I've had to sprint to school. Even if so, I think it's worth it because I got to talk with Y/N properly...</p>
<p>
  <em>What is this feeling...</em>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>Y/N: Hey, we finally made it on time! Ah, I'm so beat! I'll go get something to drink from the vending machine before going into class.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Saaya: <em>Why was I so fixated on the fact that I didn't get to talk to him... Why am I so happy when I finally got to strike a conversation with him? Why am I feeling towards him this way? Why am I so happy right now even though I am drenched in sweat...</em></p>
<p>My thoughts were interrupted by someone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Hey, Saaya? Where you at?</p>
<p>Saaya: Ah, sorry! All the tiredness is catching u-up on me!</p>
<p>Y/N: Sure... Here is some green tea. Let's head to class after we are done drinking.</p>
<p>Saaya: Sure!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I thought I would be able to have a conversation with him again, but he drank his bottle of water instantly and started to leave, but waiting for me. Of course, I had to show my manners so I drank a bit of the green tea and started to head to class.</p>
<p>
  <em>I wish I could have talked to him more...</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Y/N's POV</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>We managed to get inside the class in time and thank god we made it in time.</p>
<p>I went back to my seat and started to daydream like the usual...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>A few minutes later</b>
  </em>
  <br/>
  <em>
    <b>At Lunch</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>Y/N: <em>AHHHHH!!!! Finally lunch time! Now I can finally not listen to these boring classes. Holy crap, that previous class was so boring... that reminds me, I got nothing for lunch. Ah, if only someone would save me from this endless starvation...</em></p>
<p>???: Hey, Y/N!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I looked around to see Saaya calling me outside of my class.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Saaya: Hey, I got you some melon bread while I was about to leave.</p>
<p>Y/N: WOAH, SAAYA! YOU ARE A LIFESAVER!!!</p>
<p>Saaya: H-hey, it's n-no big deal...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Saaya started to get red a bit, wonder if she is getting sick or something.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Saaya: Hey, Y/N! You wanna join me and Popipa for lunch?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Well, she did help me out giving me the melon bread. Might as well join them for lunch!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Sure!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As we made our way to the yard, I saw the rest of Popipa sitting on the yard.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kasumi: Saaya~! Oh, Y/N!</p>
<p>Rimi: W-wait, i-is Y/N-san going to join us for l-lunch?</p>
<p>Saaya: Yes, and also Rimi-rin, here is your choco coronet!</p>
<p>Rimi: Haaaaa, Choco coronet!</p>
<p>Wow that is a drastic change in personality</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Pardon the intrusion...</p>
<p>I sat down and took out my melon bread and started eating.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tae: Arisaaaaa, gimme da omelette roll...</p>
<p>Arisa: NO! I WANT TO EAT IT!!!</p>
<p>Tae: Arisaaaaaaaa, gimme da omelette roll...</p>
<p>Arisa: *sigh* Fine, here you go...</p>
<p>The airhead beats the tsundere huh?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kasumi: Hey, Y/N-san! Tell us more about yourself!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I saw this coming...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Well, I don't like to talk about myself a lot so...</p>
<p>Saaya: Hey, it's okay. Don't force yourself.</p>
<p>Kasumi: Do you play any instruments?</p>
<p>Y/N: Well I've been interested in playing the guitar for a while, but never got the push to do it, until recently...</p>
<p>O-Tae: Oh, another guitarist... Lemme know if you want to learn. I could help you out.</p>
<p>Kasumi: Me too~!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Wow, they really are very caring...</p>
<p>We were done with lunch and we head back to our classes.</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>A few hours later</b>
  </em>
  <br/>
  <em>
    <b>After School</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>I just got out of school and I was about to head to my job, I get a call from Marina.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Marina: Hey, Y/N. Sorry to bother you but can you come to CiRCLE ASAP! I forgot to tell you that we had a live show today and I'm the only one to manage it...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Wow, she is irresponsible as hell.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Aight, I'll be there as soon as possible.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I basically sprinted towards the Live House, and after a few minutes, I made it there.</p>
<p>But when I made it there, there was a huge crowd. I had to manoeuvre through the crowd and finally made it to the other side.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Marina-san! I made it!</p>
<p>Marina: Ah, Y/N! Quick, head backstage and see if the girls are ready to perform, also check if the equipment is okay.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW IF THEY ARE OKAY IF I DON'T KNOW HOW IT WORKS!!!</p>
<p>I basically sprinted out to the backstage to see a group of girls with matching fancy black dresses...</p>
<p>I thought I'd look at the equipment and say it's okay because I don't know how it even works. I blame Marina for all of this!</p>
<p>I gave the girls the OK sign and they headed onstage. From what I can gather, their vocalist is a long silver-haired girl who looks like an edgelord, their guitarist is a teal haired girl who I've seen before but I can't remember exactly where though... Their bassist had a  long, wavy, soft dark ginger hair with thin curled forelocks and long, thin bangs, wearing her hair like a ponytail, almost as if she looks like Saaya... Their drummer is a small, purple-haired girl who looks so out of place and their pianist who has black, long hair and looks pretty shy.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: We are Roselia. Let's go. "R"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As the lights went dark, I started hearing the groovy bass playing and then absorbed by the surprisingly powerful vocals. I wasn't prepared for what I was about to see... </p>
<p>
  <iframe></iframe>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Ishizuenaru One's Intention</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Uta wa ririshiku hyakkaryōran</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Kagayakashiki One's Intention</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Shout out!) Senretsu ni shimesu wa</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Shout out!) Watashitachi no koe de</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Shout out!) Sekai no</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Shout out!) Hate made</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Takaraka ni hibike Forever...</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Never End! Never End! Never End!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>"W E A R E"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It's our roots, one's intention</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Our song is gallant, like thousands flowers blooming</em>
  <br/>
  <em>It's dazzling, one's intention</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Shining bright is one's intention</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Shout out!) I'll show you clearly</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Shout out!) That with our voice</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Shout out!) We can go on until</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Shout out!) The end of the world</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Resound loudly forever...</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Never End! Never End! Never End!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>"W E A R E"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Idaku ishi ga michibiku mama</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Yume wo hitosaji sukui totte</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Matou sugata wa kizen toshi</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Tobikau yami wo hane nokeru</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(R R R R R)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Isshimidarenai ōra</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(R R R R R)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Kuzure wa shinai no</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>As the will you embraced guides you</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Take your dreams all at one time</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Clad yourself with firmness</em>
  <br/>
  <em>And push away the darkness floating here</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(R R R R R)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Our auras synchronized</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(R R R R R)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Will not fall apart</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>(Shout out!) Gekijō wa mezamashiku </em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Shout out!) Kage wo arau hikari ga</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Shout out!) Itsudemo</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Shout out!) Dokodemo</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Onore wo terashi yuku wa</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>(Shout out!) This passion is stunning</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Shout out!) And this light that washes away shadows</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Shout out!) Always</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Shout out!) Anywhere</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Shines upon us</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Ten ni shimesu One's Intention (Kumo tsukinukete)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Kenrantaru One's Intention (Takaraka ni ima)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Eien ni yamanai omoi</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Erabu wa tadashī asu wo</em>
  <br/>
  <em>"Rose" shouts so loud!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Kaori takaku (Showing, Showing up!)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Mirai eigō sakihokoru no yo</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Pointing at the heaven one's intention (piercing the clouds)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>A gorgeous one's intention (now loud) </em>
  <br/>
  <em>My unstoppable feelings in the eternity</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Choose the right tomorrow</em>
  <br/>
  <em>"Rose" shouts so loud!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Gently perfuming (Showing, Showing up!)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Blooming fully, the eternity</em>
</p>
<p>The difference in skill levels was very evident just from this one performance. The guitar is played with such precision, the drums and the bass unbelievably in sync, the synth making the song sound so beautiful, and the cherry on top, the vocals. Those vocals took me out of this world. It is unbelievably powerful. The amount of work they had to put to perform like this, it makes me wonder if they are even high school girls...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As a few minutes passed, the live show ended and everyone cleared out. I went backstage to get greeted by Roselia. Just then the silver-haired vocalist approached me.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: Hey you! The spotlight was a bit too bright to our liking, why didn't you fix it?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm getting chills from the intense vibe she is giving. She is looking very serious.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: U-Uhhh, it's my f-first d-day here, and I had to deal with this live show too, and Marina-san didn't teach me how the equipment work so I'm really sorry!</p>
<p>???: Well, no matter.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Phew, thank god I am not dead.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: Are you Y/N from Hanasakigawa?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Spoke the teal haired girl, I feel like I've seen her before but I can't remember exactly where...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Yes, that is me.</p>
<p>???: Well, let me introduce myself. My name is Hikawa Sayo, a member of both the student council and disciplinary committee at Hanasakigawa, and the lead guitarist of Roselia.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Ahh, now that's why I've felt like I have seen her before. I remember seeing her at the entrance during the entrance ceremony and on the stage too.</p>
<p>???: Minato Yukina, vocalist of Roselia.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>She's still scary...</p>
<p>???: Don't be bothered by her, she's a nice person! My name is Imai Lisa, I play the bass! Nice to meet you~!</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p><br/>Ah, at least there is one person that isn't serious as hell...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ako: I am the Princess of Darkness, The Empress of Drums, Ako!</p>
<p>Wow, she is a chuunibyou all right. Guess she played way too much Neo Fantasy Online.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p><br/> ???: M-My name is S-Shirokano R-Rinko, N-Nice to m-meet y-you, Y/N.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Y/N: Wait a second, aren't you the student council president?</p>
<p>Rinko: Y-Yes...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Wow, she is pretty shy for a student council president.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Well, my name is Y/N L/N. Nice to meet you all.</p>
<p>Lisa: Well, Y/N~! Tell us how our performance was~?</p>
<p>Y/N: It was amazing! The energy and the passion you guys generate is unbelievable!</p>
<p>Yukina: Well, we play wherever we go perfectly. That's what we hope to accomplish.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She is driven by sheer passion I see...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Okay guys, since it is running pretty late, why don't you all get back home?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The girls agreed and then started to leave...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: <em>Roselia is just out of this world, and that music is... unbelievable</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>To be Continued</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>Author's Note: Hey guys, Vic here. Thank you for reading through the pretty long chapter. I didn't want the chapter to be this long but it is what it is! Didn't release a chap for a few days because of some personal stuff, so expect a chapter in the next day or later. Thank you all for the support and see you next chapter!</b>
  </em>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A DECLARATION OF ×××</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b> <em>Y/N's POV</em> </b>
</p>
<p>I've always loved the internet. It's a really good means to escape from reality. You can be a totally different person from how you are IRL, like for example, I could be an incredibly shy person IRL, but online I could be a really toxic fella. That's how different everyone can be... but it is applicable IRL too. Someone can pretend to be nice, only to screw you up one day...</p>
<p>Why am I thinking of all this crap while I am watching guitar videos? I dunno, my philosophical side just had a boner so guess I'll entertain it.</p>
<p>While I was watching all the videos, one struck me in particular...</p>
<p>Y/N: <em>"</em><em>Hanasakigawa</em><em>-</em><em>Haneoka</em><em> Collaboration Festival Concert Amazing Guitar Solo", holy shit, that is a mouthful...</em></p>
<p>But what really caught my attention was the thumbnail...</p>
<p>Y/N: Wait a second, isn't that the staff girl from Live House Galaxy?</p>
<p>I quickly clicked on the video...</p>
<p>
  <iframe></iframe>
</p>
<p>Imagine playing two of the hardest riffs you could play on a guitar in one solo AND improvise one of it... yup she did it. I was absolutely mind blown by what I just saw... that is just mad talent. That transition from Raining Blood to Holy Wars was just... wow...</p>
<p>You might be guessing how I know all these songs. Remember how I said I could be listening to a rock song at one moment and then listen to an EDM or Pop or something? Well, I've listened to many songs that are very instrument oriented, especially the guitar. Songs like Through The Fire And The Flames by DragonForce, Master of Puppets by Metallica, Tendinitis by Jason Richardson are something that I love to listen to and if I could own a guitar, probably learn how to learn to play them too.</p>
<p>That's when another interesting video popped up on my recommended.</p>
<p>Y/N:<em> "RAISE A </em><em>SUILEN</em><em>「EXPOSE 'Burn out!!!'」MV" huh. Looks interesting...</em></p>
<p>
  <iframe></iframe>
</p>
<p>Well, the first thing I noticed was the same girl playing the guitar, but I forgot about the thought as soon as the vocalist started singing.</p>
<p>Y/N: <em>Holy crap! Her voice is so mature, wonder if she is a professional singer...</em></p>
<p>I was taken aback by how amazing the song was. RAISE A SUILEN huh, pretty interesting...</p>
<p>Y/N: <em>Well, that's enough adventure on the internet today.. guess I'll sleep...</em></p>
<p>I turn off my lights, plugged my phone in and went to bed.</p>
<p>
  <b> <em>The Next Day</em> </b>
</p>
<p>Ever since Saaya dragged me to lunch during that day, I've been eating lunch with them. And I gotta say, it's pretty eventful.</p>
<p>For some reason, that guitar solo I watched yesterday kept lingering on my mind, probably because I find it so entertaining that I want to show people my certain discovery on the internet.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Hey guys? Have you seen this before?</p>
<p>I showed them the video only to embarrass myself...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Arisa: Y/N, this was like a month ago, and it's literally our school and Haneoka. Under what rock were you living?</p>
<p>Ah shit. I just exposed how out of the loop I was when it came to school stuff...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Ahahahahaha...</p>
<p>Saaya: You see, Y/N, we were supposed to be performing at that concert since it was Popipa's first anniversary, but, during those days O-Tae was playing as the support guitarist for another band called RAISE A SUILEN so-</p>
<p>Y/N: Wait! RAISE A SUILEN?!</p>
<p>Tae: Wait, you know them?</p>
<p>Y/N: Yea, I saw one of their music videos yesterday.</p>
<p>Poppin'Party in Unison: MUSIC VIDEO?!</p>
<p>What? That's a shocking reaction...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kasumi: Y/N! Y/N~! Show us pleeeeaaaase~?</p>
<p>Creepy.</p>
<p>I went ahead and showed them the music video. They were as mind blown as I was.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rimi: L-Looks like they are going all-out on the preliminaries...</p>
<p>Y/N: Can I ask you guys something? I've been hearing 'preliminaries' for a while. What preliminaries are you talking about?</p>
<p>Saaya: We are talking about the BanG Dream! Girl's Band Challenge. It's a competition where all the girl's bands all over Japan participates in the prelims and the top 2 voted by the people by their performances get to perform at the Budoukan in the finals.</p>
<p>Woah, the Budoukan??? Seriously?! That's like the same place The Beatles performed when they were in Japan!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tae: I used to play for RAISE A SUILEN as a support guitarist, so I could improve my skills as a guitarist. Their music is really powerful, and a childhood friend of mine convinced me to perform with her. But that put our anniversary performance at risk and we couldn't perform...</p>
<p>Oh damn, this is deep.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Saaya: We went through a rough patch for a while, but we made things up and here we are in one piece!</p>
<p>Saaya encouraging as always...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Arisa: Anyways, what are we gonna do? RAS is doing all they can to get as much publicity as they can. We gotta do something about it.</p>
<p>Kasumi: Hey guys? Why don't we make our own music video?</p>
<p>Sometimes I wish someone would bonk her on the head...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rimi: W-well, we c-could make one, but it won't be as high in production quality as this one...</p>
<p>Saaya: Yea, the camera we have is pretty old.</p>
<p>Kasumi: Let's do it, A Popi-V!</p>
<p>The heck is that?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>O-Tae: Well, going the extra mile won't hurt. Let's do it! A Popi-V!</p>
<p>Rimi: We should ask Rock-chan for advice too!</p>
<p>Arisa: Are you serious???</p>
<p>Kasumi: Well then, let's give it our all!</p>
<p>Kasumi put out her hand in the centre of the group, as all of them started to put their hands on top of another, they cheered</p>
<p>Po-Pi-Pa Pi-Po-Pa Po-Pi-Pa-Po-Pi-Po-Pa!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>All of a sudden from the cheer, Arisa spoke out.</p>
<p>Arisa: Have any one of you made a music video before?</p>
<p>Silence fell upon the group, I knew I had to do something.</p>
<p>Y/N: Allow me to introduce myself.</p>
<p>Arisa: Wait, Y/N? Do you know how to make a music video?</p>
<p>Y/N: Well, I know how to edit videos, so it should be easy.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>All of a sudden, Kasumi sprung onto me.</p>
<p>Kasumi: Thank yooooou Y/N~!</p>
<p>Y/N: Gaah!</p>
<p>Soon O-Tae and Rimi joined in the fun too. As I looked for the other two, I saw Saaya with a smile and Arisa looking red. Tsundere alert.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Afterwards, the school bell chimed and we had to go back to class. Gotta say, its pretty fun having lunch with them and all, but I still can't place my trust in any girls, especially after what happened...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After class, I was about to leave from the school compound for work until I heard someone calling for me.</p>
<p>???: Y/N!</p>
<p>I turned around to see Tae calling me.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Yo, Tae. Wassup?</p>
<p>Tae: Call me O-Tae! Anyways, I want you to come with me to Live House DUB.</p>
<p>Y/N: For what, exactly</p>
<p>Tae: To watch RAS's live!</p>
<p>Holy crap, RAS's live! I'm so in!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tae: Also you get a backstage pass and meet everyone too!</p>
<p>Y/N: Wait, what? How?</p>
<p>Tae: Because my childhood friend is in the band and I am gonna meet her.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, she did mention her friend being in the band. The friend that convinced her to play with RAS for a short amount of time.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Yeah, sure! I am excited!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If you are asking how I don't have work today, despite being a Thursday, it's because Marina-san gave me a break for the day for my 'hard work' at the Roselia live show.</p>
<p>We both started heading downtown since Live House DUB is over there.</p>
<p>When we made it over there, we were stuck in the sea of people at the entrance.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Holy shit! There is a lot of people here!</p>
<p>Tae: I mean, there are so many humans in Japan. (A/N: if you know, you know)</p>
<p>Y/N: What?</p>
<p>Did she just pull a 'people die when they are killed' sort of BS on me right now?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We managed to get past the crowd in the entrance, only to be sunk under another sea of people inside. Ugh, life is a pain...</p>
<p>As we waited for the live show to begin, suddenly the lights went out. Electronic music started to blast all over the hall, accompanied by a video introducing all the members.</p>
<p>And suddenly, they appeared on stage. Matching black colour with fluorescent blue lines on their outfit, they had this very 'menacing' aura or so to speak. A girl with long black hair, looking like she is on her 20's, came in front of the mic with her bass in hand. A familiar girl with blue hair with her blue guitar that I've had my eyes on, a *strandberg Boden J6, but it's not standard for sure because I've never seen that one online. Their pianist was a pretty tall girl with black and white hair? That is some weird taste. Their drummer with short blond hair looked like she is Kiryu's descendant or something, and lastly, a short, salmon haired girl with headphones on her head, who apparently looks like their DJ.</p>
<p>Wow, what a weird band...</p>
<p>There were no introductions afterwards, no song name, nothing. Just straight to the song.</p>
<p>
  <iframe></iframe>
</p>
<p>
  <em>(RAISE YOUR HANDS, NOW!)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(RAISE YOUR HANDS, NOW!)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(RAISE YOUR HANDS, NOW!)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(RAISE YOUR HANDS, NOW!)</em>
</p>
<p>"Let's get it going" sā hajimeyō...<br/>(RAISE YOUR HANDS, NOW!)<br/>So, bokura no na no moto ni<br/>(RAISE YOUR HANDS, NOW!)</p>
<p>
  <em>"Let's get it going", now let's begin...</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(RAISE YOUR HANDS, NOW!)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>So, by our name</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(RAISE YOUR HANDS, NOW!)</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Bring it, Bring it on</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(RAISE YOUR HANDS, NOW!)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Bring it, Bring it on</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(RAISE YOUR HANDS, NOW!)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Bring it, Bring it on</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(RAISE YOUR HANDS, NOW!)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Bring it, Bring it on</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(RAISE YOUR HANDS, NOW!)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>CAN'T STOP!!!</em>
</p>
<p><em>Mezawarina</em> <em>kensō</em><em> ni wa Get out</em><br/><em>Chōhatsu</em><em> suru </em><em>yō</em><em> shita </em><em>dashite</em><em> Bye now</em><br/><em>Fudōfukutsu</em> <em>tadatada</em> <em>noboru</em><em> sa</em><br/><em>Yosomi</em> <em>dekiru</em><em> no? </em><em>Dekinai</em><em> You see</em><br/><em>Risk </em><em>tomonatta</em> <em>yukai</em><em> sa ga Don't stop</em><br/><em>Play out </em><em>kuchite</em><em> yuke </em><em>omae</em> <em>ga</em></p>
<p>
  <em>To these hindrances of noises, get out</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Stick your tongue out in provocation, bye now</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Unbending, indomitable and unrelenting in climbing</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Can you look away? You can't. You see</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Risk the accompanying pleasure, don't stop</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Play out, it's going to corrode you</em>
</p>
<p><em>Sakamaku</em> <em>netsu</em><em> wo </em><em>obite</em> <em>zenshinzenrei</em><em> Checkmate</em><br/><em>Ishihyōjisuru</em> <em>sakebi</em><em> no </em><em>konrinzai</em> <em>yōsha</em><em> shinai Condition</em><br/><em>Bokurairo</em><em> no Scenario wa Never end... </em><em>Ahhhhh</em><em>!</em><br/><em>(RAISE YOUR HANDS, NOW!)</em></p>
<p><em>With this against the current passion,</em><br/><em>With our entire body and spirit, checkmate</em><br/><em>This absolutely unforgiving declaration of intention</em><br/><em>The colour of our scenario will never end... </em> <em>Ahhhhh</em> <em>!</em><br/><em>(RAISE YOUR HANDS, NOW!)</em></p>
<p><em>I will win against!</em><br/><em>Unmei wa </em><em>bokura</em><em> sa </em><em>tamashī</em><em> wo </em><em>tamashī</em><em> de </em><em>ugatte</em><br/><em>I know (You know?) You know? (I know)</em><br/><em>"We get to the TOP" (3, 2, 1, JUMP!)</em><br/><em>I will win against!</em><br/><em>Zenjin</em><em> hito </em><em>mitō</em><em> no ji e </em><em>zettai</em> <em>tekina</em> <em>sonzai</em><em> e to</em><br/><em>I know (You know?) You know? (I know)</em><br/><em>A DECLARATION OF ××× koko ni... kike!</em><br/><em>(RAISE YOUR HANDS, NOW!)</em></p>
<p>
  <em>I will win against!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Destiny is in our hands</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Pierce souls with souls</em>
  <br/>
  <em>I know (You know?) You know? (I know)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>"We get to the TOP" (3, 2, 1, JUMP!)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>I will win against!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Like the people before who pursued unknown lands</em>
  <br/>
  <em>We'll pursue an absolute existence</em>
  <br/>
  <em>I know (You know?) You know? (I know)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>A DECLARATION OF ××× right here... Listen to it!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(RAISE YOUR HANDS, NOW!) </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Shivers went down my spine as I watched the performance. That was no ordinary performance at all. The vocals were so powerful, it still rings in my head. The guitarist is just amazingly precise and fast! The drummer has this unhinged feel to her as if this song was the song she was looking for to showcase what she can really do. The pianist had a mysterious aura too, and lastly, the DJ, the mastermind behind it all. Their performance is filled with energy, with their headbands and fancy movements, but also really powerful. If this is a competition, then this song is a declaration of war against the other bands...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As I am deep into my thoughts, O-Tae brought me back to the real world.</p>
<p>Tae: Yoho! Anybody home?</p>
<p>Y/N: Woops, sorry about that. It's just that their performance was on a whole other level.<br/><br/>Tae: That was why I wanted to perform with them, with the experience of playing along with that kind of music, I thought I could polish my skills...<br/><br/>She is getting lost in her thoughts now...<br/><br/></p>
<p>Y/N: Anyways, didn't you want to meet your friend?<br/><br/>Tae: Oh yea! Y/N, come with me!<br/><br/></p>
<p>Woah, a chance to meet the members of RAS?<br/><br/>Y/N: Sure!<br/><br/></p>
<p>I followed Tae towards the backstage. We were about to open the door to enter the room where RAS was at until we heard someone inside.<br/><br/></p>
<p>???: SWEET! EXCELLENT! UNSTOPPABLE! Our first performance after posting that Music Video is a success! This way, we will definitely crush Roselia!<br/><br/>Crushing Roselia? What?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When we entered the room, we were met with curious stares until the vocalist broke the silence.<br/><br/></p>
<p>???: Hana-chan! It's so good to see you! Who is that along with you?<br/><br/>Tae: Meet my boyfriend, Y/N!<br/><br/>Everyone in Unison: EHHHHHHHHH!!!!<br/><br/>Tae: What, is there something wrong in what I said? He is a boy and is a friend, so boyfriend! Hehe!<br/><br/>As expected from the airhead...<br/><br/></p>
<p>???: Phew, well that was a shocker. Anyways, it's nice to meet you, Y/N-san. My name is Wakana Rei, also known as LAYER in RAS. I am the bassist and the vocalist. Also, I am Hana-chan's childhood friend.</p>
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</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Woah, she is really mature. Must be a senpai...<br/><br/></p>
<p>???: Hello, Y/N-san! My name is PAREO and I and CHU2-sama's most trusty maid! I play the keyboard!</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Wow, she is so cute! She is like a doll! And she is so polite too!<br/><br/></p>
<p>???: Hi, Y/N. My name is CHU2 and I am the leader, producer and DJ of RAS.</p>
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</p>
<p>Jack of all trades, I see. She is so short tho...<br/><br/></p>
<p>???: Sup. The name's Masuki and I go by MASKING in RAS. I play the drums.<br/><br/><br/></p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Woah, she might literally be Kiryu's descendant or something. She would fit in Yakuza perfectly!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: He-Hello, Y-Y/N-san! My name is A-Asahi Rokka! My name in RAS is LOCK and I play the guitar.<br/><br/></p>
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</p>
<p>Y/N: I know you. I've seen you on the internet before and I am a big fan of you playing the guitar!<br/><br/>Rokka: On the internet? Oh, the guitar solo video... how e-embarrassing...</p>
<p>Y/N: I've also seen you at Live House Galaxy while I went to watch Poppin'Party's live-<br/><br/>Rokka: ARE YOU A POPIPA FAN TOO! I AM A POPIPA FAN AND I LOOOOOOVE POPIPA!<br/><br/></p>
<p>Things went from 0 to 100 real quick.<br/><br/></p>
<p>Y/N: Ahaha... anyways, my name is Y/N L/N and I'm a huge fan of yours. It's nice to meet you all!<br/><br/>Rei: If you don't mind me asking, how did you become a fan of us?<br/><br/>Y/N: I saw the music video yesterday, it was so good! And so was today's performance! It was full of energy and so powerful it sent shivers down my spine!<br/><br/>CHU2: Of course, it would be that good! We are the band that will soon surpass Roselia and change the world!<br/><br/>Weirdo.<br/><br/></p>
<p>We all talked for a while until it was getting pretty late.<br/><br/>I was walking with Tae to her home that night.<br/><br/></p>
<p>Tae: So, what do you think of RAS?<br/><br/>Y/N: From what I've seen, all of them have such diverse personalities, but when it comes to music, all of them are serious. But, there's something missing...<br/><br/>Tae: What do you mean?<br/><br/>Y/N: I feel like they don't have that sort of a feel which Popipa or Roselia has on stage. Like they lack some sort of chemistry. But then again, I spew random stuff at times so don't take it seriously.<br/><br/>Tae: Hmm, so you are stupid too, Y/N!<br/><br/>Y/N: Ehhhhh?! How am I stupid here?!<br/><br/></p>
<p>And thus the day ended. From there on, my life took a new direction that I never thought it would have...<br/><br/><em><b><br/></b></em></p>
<p>
  <em> <b>To be continued...</b> </em>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <b> <em>Authors Note: Hey guys! Vic here! Hope you all loved this chapter! Spent a few days on thinking about how I want the chapter to go on and in all honesty, this is the hardest of the bunch thus far. Thank you so all so much for reading! Leave a comment about what you think about it thus far! See y'all laters!</em> </b>
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  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Poppin'Shuffle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
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    <b>Y/N's POV<br/></b>
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    <b>The Next Day</b>
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<p>Well after that live show, O-Tae dragged me to her home and showed me her bunnies and OH MY GOD THEY WERE KYUTE, I WANTED TO TAKE THEM HOME!!!! Yes, I have a soft spot for animals and bugs. I usually take a pacifist route when I see a spider or a cockroach, but I hate, I FUCKING HATE MOSQUITOS! If I had the power to wipe one existence from the universe, it would be mosquitos. Now, why am I shit-talking and not doing some better things? Because its physics class. Ah, physics! How I hate physics so much! I wish that something heavier fell on Newton's head so that we didn't have to study all this bullshit...<br/><br/>Well, we haven't had a lot of backstory and stuff, so let's have a bit of that, shall we? Ok then, I'm gonna talk about a bit of my relationship with my mom and dad. My dad was never strict, in fact, he was the nicest man on the planet in my opinion. We literally hang out in restaurants, watch football matches together, and we used to do so much together. But my mom, on the other hand, was very abusive. My dad would leave from home during the evening, leaving me and my mom alone. My sis would be in her room. She beat the crap out of me whenever I made mistakes while studying. That made her, in my mind, such an imposing figure. Heck, I'm still scared of her even now. Despite being a very smart woman, stress can make you do some weird things. As much as I am scared of her, she is my mom, so I still love her. <br/><br/></p>
<p>Time went on like how we turn a page of the paper, so fast and so smooth. Today was a very uneventful day, and I thought I'd be going back home until...<br/><br/>Kasumi: Hey, Y/N~! We gotta make that MV today!<br/><br/>Ah shit, here we go again...<br/><br/></p>
<p>Y/N: Where are we doing it though? Also, do you have a good laptop/computer that I can use?<br/><br/>Arisa: Well, Popipa hangs out at my basement, so you could come along...<br/><br/>Woah, she blushing like a goddamn tomato...<br/><br/></p>
<p>Arisa: ANYWAYS! Rimi and I got our laptops. You can work with it if you want.<br/><br/>Y/N: Aight, sure!<br/><br/>Arisa: Oh wait a second, isn't it the day I am supposed to teach you physics?<br/><br/>OH HELL NO!!!<br/><br/></p>
<p>Y/N: If you want the MV done, we gotta do it another day.<br/><br/>Arisa: Okay, fine. We can do it another day,<br/><br/>YES! ESCAPED FROM PHYSICS! LETS GOO!!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kasumi: Well then, let's get the others and work on that MV!<br/><br/>Y/N: Sure.<br/><br/>Oh god, this is gonna be a pain... well better than learning physics!</p>
<p><br/>We waited outside for the others to arrive. Now, making a video is some tough trial and error. It requires patience and good mental fortitude. It can be frustrating at times, but when you experiment with the editor, you could make a gem of a video. Trust the process, because you won't be making a masterpiece on your first video. Now, if we are trying to rival RAS's MV, we don't stand a chance. Its production quality is off the roof and it is professionally made. Hmm, guess I gotta put my AMV skills to good use...<br/><br/>My thoughts were interrupted as the three girls we were waiting for arrived...<br/><br/>Saaya: Oh, hi Y/N! Coming along to make an MV with us?<br/><br/>Y/N: Yup! And it is definitely gonna be difficult. So, all of you better brace yourself.<br/><br/>Kasumi: I got an idea from Rock-chan! Let's try it out!</p>
<p>I don't like where this is going.<br/><br/><em><b><br/>A few Minutes Later<br/></b></em></p>
<p><em><b>Saaya's POV<br/><br/></b></em>Saaya: <em>Holy crap, Y/N to the basement! He is gonna hang out with everyone from Popipa! This is gonna be so much fun! I heard from Tae about how they hung out, and in all honesty, I am pretty jealous. But this is all I wanted!<b><br/><br/></b><b>Y/N's POV</b><b><br/><br/></b></em>We walked plenty and finally reached Arisa's home, and holy damn, it is HUGE! <br/><br/>Y/N: Wow, Arisa! Never knew you were this rich...<br/><br/>Arisa: My grandmother runs a pawn shop here, and yes we do have a big house.<br/><br/>Flexing much?<br/><br/></p>
<p>I followed the group as I didn't know tha wei :) and they led me to a basement like place.<br/><br/>Y/N: Woah, there's a lot of rare stuff in here!<br/><br/>Arisa: DON'T TOUCH THEM!<br/><br/>Y/N: Arisa is the spawn of the devil, confirmed!<br/><br/>Kasumi and Tae: Agreed.<br/><br/>That was unexpected but thanks.<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: So what did we come here for again?<br/><br/>Rimi: F-for the MV...<br/><br/>Y/N: Kasumi, didn't you tell us that you had an idea or something?<br/><br/>Kasumi: Yes, I do~! Well, Rock-chan gave me the idea from their MV, so let's give it a shot!<br/><br/><br/>We put our stuff in the basement and went outside. I saw Kasumi telling Arisa something, which could probably be for the MV. Tae and Rimi are waiting too... by the way, where is Saaya? I thought she wa-<br/><br/>Saaya: Y/N? What's the matter, you look nervous.<br/><br/>Y/N: HOLY CRAP! Don't scare me like that!<br/><br/>Saaya: You were that spaced out? Wow, you keep thinking about a lot, don't you?</p>
<p>Y/N: Well, I was thinking about how I wanted this MV to be, and you all seem to be having fun with it too.<br/><br/>Saaya: Oh? But we are being ourselves as usual though?<br/><br/>Oh, so they are pretty fun every time they hang out, huh?<br/><br/><br/>As I finished my thoughts, Arisa and Kasumi came in with a bunch of boxes? Wait, what the hell is she thinking?<br/><br/>Y/N: Uhh, Kasumi? What's the setup here?<br/><br/>Kasumi: Hehehe... Rock-chan told me that when they shot their MV, they were inside a box and they got out when they pointed finger guns! So, why don't we try it out?<br/><br/>Oh no, is she referring to the scene that I think it is?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Well, who is doing what here?<br/><br/>Saaya: How about I and Rimi man the camera? For now, Rimi-rin, you can have the camera!<br/><br/>Rimi: I get to do the filming? Yay~<br/><br/>Saaya: Arisa, you be the director!<br/><br/>Arisa: Director? Director...<br/><br/>She said that with a hint of red on her cheeks, both eyes wide and smiling.<br/><br/>Everyone: Director!<br/><br/>Arisa: Reporting for duty!<br/><br/>Saaya: What about you, Y/N?<br/><br/>Y/N: I am just gonna sit over here and have fun watching.<br/><br/>Saaya: Sure!<br/><br/><br/>And thus they started shooting their "MV".<br/><br/>Arisa: Lift your heads high...<br/><br/>They started to look up with an awe<br/><br/>Arisa: Slowly gaze off into the distance...<br/><br/>What the...<br/><br/>Arisa: Crouch slowly into the boxes...<br/><br/>Bruh, they looking mad stupid! Also, Kasumi's cat ear-like hair makes her look like a cat in a box. So cute!<br/><br/>Arisa: BREAK OUT!<br/><br/>They got out of the box swiftly towards a bunch of rocks...<br/><br/>Arisa: POSE! And...!<br/><br/>Kasumi, Tae and Saaya: BAM!<br/><br/>They held a pose, holding finger guns and pointing it towards somewhere...<br/><br/>Rimi: And cut!<br/><br/>Kasumi, Tae and Saaya: Yay!<br/><br/>Good lord, whatever they shot is gonna be mighty cringe...<br/><br/><br/>Rimi: Y/N-san? Will this be plenty to work with?<br/><br/>Y/N: Ehhh, I'll try my best. Don't expect a masterpiece though.<br/><br/><br/>So I got onto the laptop and started to work with what I had and HOLY CRAP THIS IS THE WORST THING I HAVE EVER MADE!<br/><br/>Y/N: Well, guys. Here you go...<br/><br/>So, I showed them the video. The first shot was just a panning shot of Arisa's tree, then a shot of a bunch of chocolate coronets with a blurry Rimi in there, then a shot of Arisa's bonsai. When the instrumentals popped in, I used their gun posing part, and when POPPIN arrives on the song, I synced it up with them sitting on a box.<br/><br/>Arisa: Wait wait wait, stop that! It's creeping me out...<br/><br/>Saaya: I guess we didn't take it in the right direction, what do we do...<br/><br/>Rimi: I think these kinds of shots don't match up with the song too well.<br/><br/>Well, duh!<br/><br/></p>
<p>Kasumi: Arisa's acting was way too stiff...<br/><br/>Arisa: Huh?! If anything, you were the stiff one...<br/><br/>Y/N: Guys, how about we do this another day? We need to brainstorm a bit too and see if we get any good ideas. At the moment, I am not a huge fan of this...<br/><br/><br/>Ahh, damn. The vibe we had got killed. I gotta do something about this. I know I can make an MV for them, but only if I got the right idea...<br/><br/>All of a sudden, I felt like someone was pointing a camera towards me. I looked to see a pink phone held by Rimi.<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: Hey, why the photo?<br/><br/>Rimi: I thought of having a photo of serious Y/N-san on my gallery.<br/><br/>She proceeded to tap on her phone, I thought I'd get a sneak peek so I moved in a bit to see rows full of folders, filled with photos.<br/><br/>Y/N: Woah, that is a lot of photos...</p>
<p>Rimi: Wanna look through them?<br/><br/>Y/N: Sure!<br/><br/>We started scrolling through the photos. There were a lot of photos but in all of them, they looked so vibrant. They all had smiles on their faces and looked like they were having tons of fun!<br/><br/></p>
<p>Y/N: Wow, you guys are having a lot of fun...<br/><br/>Rimi: I was originally planning to send all of this to my big sister as a video diary...<br/><br/>Tae: Hey, guys! Look at this picture of Oddie! <br/><br/>We look at the picture of her bunny, which looked SO CUTE! But, that's when an idea struck me...<br/><br/>Y/N: Hey, guys? I just got an idea...<br/><br/>Tae: What is it, Y/N?<br/><br/>Y/N: How about we make an MV with all the photos Rimi has and some photos and videos of you guys? Actually wait, what if we make an MV with things you guys love?<br/><br/>Kasumi: Good idea~! We should put all the things we love into one video!<br/><br/>Tae: Put Oddie in there!<br/><br/>Rimi: Have some choco coronet in there too!<br/><br/>Woah, woah. Chill...<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: Anyways give me all the stuff I want for the MV, and I'll edit it. But, where will I edit it?<br/><br/>Arisa: M-Mind spending the night in the basement...<br/><br/>Y/N: WHA-WHAT!!!</p>
<p>Arisa: FOR EDITING YOU IDIOT! DON'T YOU DARE HAVE ANY BAD INTENTIONS!<br/> <br/>Y/N: Rimi, why don't you join too?<br/><br/>Rimi: Y-you sure? Y/N-san?<br/><br/>Y/N: The more people there are, the easier it is to edit.</p>
<p>Rimi: Yay! I'll help too!</p>
<p>Y/N: You guys get to collecting all the photos and videos you like. Guess we can have a sleepover here with everyone, tomorrow is a weekend too!<br/><br/>Saaya: Sure! Kasumi, O-Tae, lets get to work!<br/><br/>Kasumi and Tae: Yes!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b><em>Saaya's POV</em></b><br/><br/>A night with Y/N? I can't wait to get this done and help him out! Then again, why do I have feelings for him like this? I haven't even talked to him a lot, yet I feel so nervous when he talks...<br/><br/><b><em><br/></em></b></p>
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  <b>
    <em>A few minutes later</em>
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<p><b><em>Y/N's POV<br/><br/><br/></em></b>We were sitting around in the basement. I was listening to Popipa's song on a loop so that I could get an idea of what I should have the MV to be like.<br/><br/>Suddenly someone tapped on my shoulder...<br/><br/>Rimi: Y/N-san, what are you doing?<br/><br/>Y/N: Oh, I am just listening to the song on a loop so I could get an idea of what the MV would look like.<br/><br/>Arisa: You think you can get it done?<br/><br/>Y/N: Depends if I don't fall asleep...<br/><br/><br/>Suddenly, Kasumi, Tae and Saaya came down via the stairs.<br/><br/>Tae: We got plenty for the MV!<br/><br/>Saaya: This should hopefully be enough!<br/><br/>Kasumi: Y/N! Make this the best MV you have ever made!<br/><br/>Nice enthusiasm, Kasumi...<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: Arisa, Rimi. Help me out will ya?<br/><br/>Arisa and Rimi: Sure!<br/><br/><br/>And thus we began editing the video. It wasn't the easiest work, having to add lyrics in because it is an MV. Then having to add all of the best things isn't easy either. Arisa sorted the files for me and Rimi kept suggesting to me ideas on what I should do. Occasionally, one of them would fall asleep and I get them a blanket. Thankfully I had a cup of coffee and all my engines are on full throttle. Eventually, both of them fell asleep as I kept working on the video.<br/><br/>I don't remember exactly how long it took, but I was extremely tired. I haven't put effort into something like this since ages ago, and now I finally got it done... I gotta show it to them... Fuck... tired...<br/><br/><br/><em><b>Saaya's POV<br/><br/><br/></b></em>Literally, everyone from Popipa fell asleep. Tae and Kasumi slept with their guitars on them, Arisa and Rimi fell asleep too. </p>
<p>Saaya: <em>I wonder how Y/N is doing?<br/></em></p>
<p>I looked around to see Y/N's head on the table. I think he fell asleep. As I got behind him, the editor was processing the video Y/N made for us.<br/><br/>Saaya: <em>Guess I gotta give you a gift for your hard work...</em></p>
<p>I got near to Y/N's face. I faced towards the left side of his face. I got my lips out and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek, gentle enough that he wouldn't wake up from it. But that was enough for me. That gentle kiss was the one thing that I was looking for...<br/><br/>I then fell asleep alongside him on the table, and that was one of the best sleep I've had in a while...</p>
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    <em>A few minutes later<br/><br/>Y/N's POV<br/></em>
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<p>I became awake from my head hurting. I think it was because I was sleeping on the table with my face facing it. When I lifted my head, the first thing I saw was the MV was done processing. I closed the editor and got onto waking up the others until I saw Saaya sleeping beside me.<br/><br/>Y/N: <em>Ugh, better not wake them up now<br/><br/></em></p>
<p>Saaya had such a blissful expression while she was sleeping. She had a big smile on her face, with a radiance of light beaming. It was as if she was the Sun, warming up the people with her gentle care. That blissful expression was as if she had found something that she has been searching for a while.<br/><br/><b></b></p>
<p><em><b>A few minutes later<br/></b></em><br/>Everyone finally woke up, and tension filled the room. We were pretty excited, but also nervous about whether or not the MV turned out to be good. I, for one, am really tensed at the moment. My heart feels like it is gonna burst any moment now...</p>
<p>Finally, everyone assembled in front of the laptop, and it was time to show them the MV.</p>
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<p>As the video ended, there was a huge silence...<br/><br/>Kasumi: Y/N!!! THAT WAS AMAZING!<br/><br/>Y/N: Couldn't have done it without Arisa and Rimi!<br/><br/>Rimi: Thank you, Y/N-san. But you did all the hard work!<br/><br/>Arisa: Yeah, all credits to you for making the MV!<br/><br/>Tae: You even got Oddie and everyone in there!<br/><br/>Saaya: Even Jun and Sana too!!!<br/><br/>Y/N: Thanks for the compliments guys! Anyways, how about we upload the video?<br/><br/>Arisa: Already? Wait, give me some time to prepare!<br/><br/><br/>I got onto the website and already added the video. Now it was just a matter of hitting the upload button...<br/><br/><br/>Arisa: H-how about all of us do it together?<br/><br/><br/>All of them stretched their arms towards the mousepad. I didn't want to be involved, because it is Popipa's moment. Suddenly-<br/><br/>Kasumi: Y/N, you too!<br/><br/>Y/N: Why me? It's Popipa's moment, isn't it?<br/><br/>Tae: But we couldn't have had this moment without you putting your hard work into it!<br/><br/>Saaya: Join us, Y/N!<br/><br/>Rimi: Come on, Y/N-san!<br/><br/>Arisa: Come on, Y/N! Let's do it!<br/><br/><br/>I got my arm in there as well, I felt some nervous shakes in there. But all of their hands were so warm and so cosy...<br/><br/>We finally hit the upload button and a flurry of anxiety hit all of us. What if no one watches it? What if no one likes it? But it was all gone in an instant as the first like appeared...<br/><br/>Y/N: YES! WE DID IT!!!<br/><br/>Been a while since I've been this enthusiastic about a video that I made.<br/><br/>And thus a flurry of likes started appearing. My eyes started to blur and my eyelids were starting to get heavy, as I slowly fell asleep again...<br/><br/><br/><br/><em><b>To Be Continued</b></em></p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. VERSUS Part-1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><b><em>Y/N's POV<br/><br/></em></b>I am always afraid to fall asleep. Not because I am scared of ghosts or anything, but because of a nightmare that keeps reminding me of a fragment of my past that I try to forget so desperately.</p>
<p>I am seeing it again. The silhouettes, the accusatory stares, and I keep hearing the angry shouting that still to this day, send shivers down my spine. Why is it that I keep remembering it, even though I want to forget it so desperately? Is it God telling me to stay away from those girls so that a repeat of it won't happen? Can I trust them? What if 'that' happens again? Only time will tell... and I'm scared that time is moving forward. I am scared that it will happen again. But in the end, we got to keep moving forward...<br/><br/>The scar on my left arm, which a lot of people tried asking about, is a badge of shame of mine. The sign that I tried to give up and that I am a coward, that I refused to keep moving forward. I wonder why I tried to do that back then? Probably because of this nightmare...  <br/><br/>But I knew one thing, and that was the harsh reality of this world. There are many sick and twisted people with weird obsessions. They might be all nice to you but deep down, most of them would be putting up a facade, a mask of lies, only to stab you in the back and ruin your life. I still don't get what they gain from something so selfish and disgusting...<br/><br/></p>
<p>I opened my eyes to see myself facing up towards a ceiling, but I didn't remember exactly which one it was, because this wasn't the ceiling that I kept seeing every morning. I felt like I was sleeping on something so soft and something so warm. Couldn't be a pillow, eh?<br/><br/>Then a face leaned to my vision, revealing Saaya. I quickly got up in a panic, because that's when I realized what was under my head...<br/><br/></p>
<p>Saaya: Woah, Y/N! You seem to be energetic, did something good happen to you?<br/><br/>Nice Monogatari reference.<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: Well, I mean, I've been occupying your lap for I dunno how many hours, so yea...<br/><br/>Saaya: Well, you have indeed been out for an hour or two, but don't be embarrassed that you slept on my lap!<br/><br/>Y/N: Ehhh? Saaya! Stop teasing me!<br/><br/></p>
<p>We both shared a laugh and we decided that we would head home together since we are both living downtown.<br/><br/>When we got out of the basement was when we realized how late it's gotten. Even though I declared to them that we were gonna have a sleepover, it ain't something that you decide on a whim, especially with a boy in there, so we decided to head home.<br/><br/>It was a cold, and a pretty chilly night. Winter is coming up, and the snow is gonna cover up all the roads that we are walking on. I don't know what it was, but there was this awkward silence when we walked together. One of us felt so hesitant to talk. It was that kind of a vibe and atmosphere that filled the streets. It was as if every word that we would have spoken would be heard by everyone around the world. </p>
<p>Saaya: Hey, Y/N? Why were you so cold towards everyone in your first year and a majority of this year? You wouldn't even strike a conversation with anyone, heck, you would totally ignore having a conversation with me. Why the change?<br/><br/>Y/N: Ahaha, I wonder why? I can't say much about the reason why I've been cold, but I can only tell you this: <em>I've been through a lot, and I became who I am because of it. <br/></em></p>
<p>To be fair, I didn't expect her to understand what I meant by it, but she looked at me with eyes filled with tears and hugged me.</p>
<p>Y/N: Woah, Saaya! What-<br/><br/>Saaya: YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH ALONE! We are here for you, and we will be there for you every step of the way. So please, don't go back to who you were before again!<br/><br/></p>
<p>Saaya's hug was something very blissful. It was like a gentle warmth that I've felt a lot but long forgotten. I felt like something was wetting my shirt, and I realized that it was Saaya's tears. I put my arm on her head and gently patted it and uttered the words as I stared towards the starry sky with a beautifully lit full moon:<br/><br/>Y/N: Thank you, Saaya.<br/><br/>Saaya's face was filled with an expression of relief and happiness. She got off of me and I gave her a napkin to wipe off those tears. The last thing I wanted was her parents to be sus about me.<br/><br/>We finally reached the entrance of her home. She was going to enter her home until she turned towards me.<br/><br/>Saaya: Y/N, thank you for helping Popipa out with the MV. It really means a lot, since this is gonna help us with the competition.<br/><br/>Y/N: No problem, it was my pleasure. Now, I'm gonna go ahead back to my home. See you later, Saaya.<br/><br/>Saaya: Take care and stay safe!<br/><br/>And thus, a rollercoaster of a day ended. Started with some sleeper classes, but ended with a beautiful expression of affection and care.<br/><br/><em><b>The Next Day<br/><br/></b></em>I thought I could've slept through the whole day as I did back in the day, but reality hit me like a truck as I realized that I had to go to the Live House and work there for the whole day.<br/><br/>Y/N: <em>Ugh, time to get to work I guess... gotta do it for the guitar!!!<br/><br/></em>I got my lazy butt up and went to work.<br/><br/><br/><b><em>A few minutes later<br/><br/>Live House CiRCLE<br/><br/></em></b>I finally made my way to CiRCLE, and Marina stood at the counter and gave me a warm welcome.<br/><br/></p>
<p>Marina: Good morning, Y/N! Technically, this is your first day working here, isn't it?<br/><br/>Y/N: Well, I suppose it is. Well. it's a pleasure to work with you!<br/><br/>I lied. Just from that Roselia concert, I knew she was a lousy worker. This is gonna be a torture. But then again, I am lazy too. Lazy and lazy working together is the best recipe for disaster.<br/><br/>I followed her towards the studio and she showed me how the equipment worked, which if I had learned sooner enough, I wouldn't have had many issues during that Roselia live.<br/><br/>After a few minutes, Marina told me to man the counter since she had a meeting with other Live Houses about the competition. And thus, here I am, standing like a statue, in a place where I have zero experience, and at an area of the job where I have to be very outgoing with people which if you didn't know, I am not very good at.<br/><br/>Y/N:<em> My luck is just the worst...<br/><br/><b>A Few Minutes Later<br/></b></em><br/>I've been here for a while, but I am very sure literally no customers came. Why the hell does this place lack customers? I mean, it's a well-furnished place, got plenty of equipment, and got a good cafe too. I hate it when people put their heart and soul, blood, sweat and tears into the thing that they love, only to be out looked by people.<br/><br/>As my mind slowly started to drift towards the shit-talking phase, a group of girls decided to enter. And to my surprise, it was Roselia.<br/><br/>Lisa: Hey, Y/N! How's your day?<br/><br/>Y/N: Disaster.<br/><br/>Lisa: Ahahaha, where is Marina-san by the way?<br/><br/>Y/N: Outside.<br/><br/>Lisa: Hmm, you speak only one word now?<br/><br/>Y/N: Yes.<br/><br/>Lisa: Who do you have a crush on?<br/><br/>Y/N: No.<br/><br/>Lisa: You sure?<br/><br/>Y/N: No.<br/><br/>Lisa: Guys, Y/N thinks we are ugly and not cute enough~!<br/><br/>Y/N: I DID NOT SAY THA-<br/><br/>Lisa: Gotem!</p>
<p>She said that with a smug look on her face. Dammit.<br/><br/><br/>Sayo: Imai-san, enough messing around. We have to get to practise as soon as possible, before that live show.<br/><br/>'That' live show. Wonder what she is referring too.<br/><br/>Sayo: Sorry for the trouble Imai-san caused.<br/><br/>Y/N: Nah, it's okay senpai. Anyways, you girls wanted a studio reserved?<br/><br/>We went over the details for the reservations and they sat at the lounge with Lisa and Sayo-senpai looking through their phones. Probably going through their schedule I guess.<br/><br/>I've always found Roselia to be a very serious band. They have this kind of presence that is so heavy and menacing, and when they perform it is like going into some pits of flame, getting burned by their sheer passion and drive.<br/><br/><b><em>A few hours later<br/><br/></em></b>So a few hours have passed, and Roselia is still practising. Damn, they really do be putting all that effort. Tells you how serious they are.<br/><br/>All of a sudden, my phone started buzzing and it was O-Tae texting me. All she kept sending me are her bunnies pictures, but what she sent me was an absolute shocker.<br/><br/>She sent me a video, not of her bunnies, but it was the latest vid by RAS. I clicked on it to see CHU2 on a chair.<br/><br/>CHU2: Hello everyone! My name is CHU2, the producer of RAISE A SUILEN. Have you been enjoying the "Bang Dream" tournament? Now then... Our upcoming performance on November 15th is set to take place at Live House DUB. We've selected the current frontrunners, Roselia, as our opponent. This one-on-one battle isn't just about the tournament. We are gonna shake the Girl Band Generation. Calling this a defining moment would be an understatement. A few days ago, you saw our MV. As you know, we have recruited ourself a sweet new guitarist. We invite to you witness RAS as we evolve and blast our way to the top of the music scene. <br/><br/>She took a huge breath, and said-<br/><br/>CHU2: Prepare yourselves, Roselia. This is it!<br/><br/>The video then ends abruptly. <br/><br/>When I talked about how that performance was enough of a declaration of war against the other bands, I didn't expect her to make a video and noticing everyone about it. Guess she must be either confident that she can beat Roselia or overconfident about it.<br/><br/>This might be 'that' live show that Roselia was talking about. They have already begun practice for it! It all adds up now!<br/><br/>Y/N: Well, well. This is gonna be fun to watch!<br/><br/><br/><b><em>To be continued<br/><br/>Author's Note: Sup, y'all! Vic, here. Sorry that this chapter isn't as long as the others! Mainly because I took up so much time up top, the chapter would have felt really bulky, so I am gonna make this a 2 parter. Hope you all enjoyed the new chapter! See ya later!!!</em></b></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. VERSUS Part-2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <b>Y/</b>
  </em>
  <em>
    <b>N's</b>
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  <em>
    <b> POV</b>
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<p>
  <em>
    <b>A Few Hours Later</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>After the shocking announcement by CHU2 about the RAS vs Roselia Live, CHU2 and PAREO arrived at CiRCLE to talk about it to Marina-san.</p>
<p>Marina: You put me in a tough spot. Not to mention the trouble this might cause for the other bands.</p>
<p>CHU2: No problem! There won't be entries from any other bands.</p>
<p>Marina: Huh?</p>
<p>CHU2: They've seen the calibre of our performance thus far. They know exactly what we are capable of. After our declaration of war against Roselia, what band in their right mind would challenge us?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Well, she isn't wrong. Both of these bands produce top tier music and in all honesty, I am excited about the duel between these two.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Marina: The entry deadline...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I picked up my phone to check the app and to see only Roselia and RAS at DUB, and there were only mere seconds for the entries to be closed. 3, 2, 1 and done. It's been confirmed. It is RAS vs Roselia.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>CHU2: Now this is an official duel between RAS and Roselia!</p>
<p>Lisa: So, you posted that video knowing what would happen?</p>
<p>CHU2: Yes! Give our fans something to buzz about and boost public interest in the tournament itself. A win-win from a promotional standpoint, don't you think?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Woah she looks like a kid, but she is pretty smart and got her way with words too. From what I heard from O-Tae, she attends some really prestigious international school called Celosia Girls' Academy, and that despite being 14, she is in her first year of high school because of her excellent grades.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Marina: <b>*sigh*</b> I suppose you aren't breaking any rules... Y/N, what do you think?</p>
<p>Y/N: What CHU2 said right now is right. This can help in terms of promotion and something for the fans to be hyped about. I'm all in for this live.</p>
<p>Marina: Oh well. I hope you don't do anything risky!</p>
<p>CHU2: Of course we won't! Thanks, Marina!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After that, they started to review their agreement and how the rules worked, and then CHU2 and PAREO left the building. I don't know why, but I keep seeing a concerned look on Sayo's face. I wonder what's going on...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>A Few Minutes Later</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>I've been manning the counter the whole day, and I am literally bored out of my life. So I thought I'd kill some time listening to songs. Honestly, you won't know how fast time flies until you finish that queue of songs that you have set. Good stuff to kill some time.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That's when I saw Sayo getting out of the live house swiftly, and I knew immediately that something was wrong. So I went in quickly towards the studio Roselia were practising in.</p>
<p>Y/N: Hey guys, what the hell happened here? Why did Sayo leave?</p>
<p>Lisa: Oh boy, this is gonna be a hard one to explain. Basically, our live against RAS is pretty close to the 'Over the Future' festival, which is like a preliminary of the 'Future World Festival'. Sayo looked like she wasn't on board with the idea of even competing in the Bang Dream challenge either, and said that we should have had our sights on the Over The Future festival than the Bang Dream challenge, and then she left saying that she will practise alone.</p>
<p>Y/N: <em>Oh no, this is bad. I gotta do something. </em>Hey, Lisa? Do you know where Sayo lives?</p>
<p>Lisa: Yea, why?</p>
<p>Y/N: I got a plan.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I got Sayo's address and I was about to rush out until Yukina came up to me and said-</p>
<p>Yukina: Be careful with her. Her feelings are very fragile.</p>
<p>Y/N: You got it!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I sprinted out towards the exit, straight to Sayo's home.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>Yukina's</b>
  </em>
  <em>
    <b> POV</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Yukina: I hope he can handle her. It's just a gamble, but I think he could be able to convince her to get back to playing with us.</em>
</p>
<p>Lisa: Yukina? Are you sure that everything is gonna be okay?</p>
<p>Yukina: I don't know. It all depends on him.</p>
<p>Rinko: I h-hope Y/N-san can help us out.</p>
<p>Ako: I am sure! As I saw the determined stare from his eyes, it was like a pit of lava, overflowing and fiercely as well.</p>
<p>Rinko: W-wow Ako-chan, y-you finished your sentence properly!</p>
<p>Ako: Hehe, thank you, Rin-rin!</p>
<p>Yukina: Well then, let's get back to practising. Let's go!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This positive vibe, I need to maintain it, for Roselia's sake.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N, good luck.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>Sayo's</b>
  </em>
  <em>
    <b> POV</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Sayo: What is even Yukina-san thinking? Wasn't she the same person that said that we will only perform on the stages at our level? Over the Future festival is so close, yet she is putting all her efforts into the live show against RAS and expects the band to do the same...</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I finally reached home, and the first thing I did was enter my room and start practising, until-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hina: Onee-chan, Onee-chan! Are you seriously gonna compete against RAS?</p>
<p>Sayo: Hina, couldn't you knock quietly?</p>
<p>Hina: I wanna go! Can I?</p>
<p>Sayo: If your schedule permits...</p>
<p>Hina: For real? Yippee! The news kinda surprised me, though. I thought you were too busy getting ready for Over the Future Live!</p>
<p>Sayo: I thought so too...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And thus I explained to her what happened at CiRCLE...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sayo: That girl is exploiting Yukina-san's kindness, I should have handled the negotiations...</p>
<p>Hina: How about we-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I heard the bell ring...</p>
<p>Hina: I am gonna go check the door!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Y/</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>N's</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em> POV</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>Y/N: <em>Oh god, I am at Sayo-</em><em>senpai's</em><em> home. I am so tensed right now. She could chew me up if my idea doesn't come across properly, so I gotta be careful.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The door opened and in front of me was a girl who looked like Sayo, but she isn't?  Her bangs are brushed towards the right, and her hair is shoulder-length. Sections of her hair are worn on either side in a braid held by tiny yellow bows.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: Hello mister? Who are you and why are you here?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Straight to the point, eh?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: My name is Y/N L/N and I am here to meet Sayo. Is she here?</p>
<p>???: Onee-chan is here!</p>
<p>Y/N: Onee-chan? So you must be her sister.</p>
<p>???: Yes! My name is Hikawa Hina! I and Onee-chan are twins!</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>That explains the resemblance.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: So, is Sayo-senpai around here?</p>
<p>Hina: Yes! Come on in!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I entered their home and finally reached Sayo-senpai's room. Hope I am not gonna get wrecked.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Sayo-senpai, it's me, Y/N! We need to talk a bit!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I slowly entered the room, trembling a bit with fear.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sayo: Oh, Y/N-san. Surprised to see you here. What is it that you want to talk about?</p>
<p>Y/N: I heard about what happened between you and Roselia in the afternoon, so I wanted to talk about it...</p>
<p>Sayo: Ahh, you heard about it... Well, this is embarrassing...</p>
<p>Y/N: Sayo-senpai, I get that your priority should be set on the Over The World Festival, but also think of it from CHU2's side too. She is passionate about beating Roselia, and Yukina is giving her a chance to try.</p>
<p>Sayo: But what is the point of this meaningless grudge? Should there even be a sense of superiority and grudge between two bands?</p>
<p>Y/N: I mean, don't take it personally or anything, <em>but aren't you the same people that 'would only perform on a stage which is worthy enough for Roselia'?</em> Aren't you creating a sense of superiority yourself?</p>
<p>Sayo: Wha...</p>
<p>Y/N: When you tell someone it's not worth it or when you do not put an effort into a competition, of course, that would create a sense of superiority, as if you are looking down on it. The thing is though, it might not be prevalent among yourselves, but on the sights of others. Try talking to CHU2 and see what she thinks. She might even tell you why this is happening in the first place.</p>
<p>I said that as I swiftly left the room. I knew I was gonna get my ass handed if I stayed there any longer...</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>Sayo's</b>
  </em>
  <em>
    <b> POV</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Why didn't I realise it any sooner... To think from other's perspective... I wonder what Hina thinks of me then?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Y/N-san, thank you for opening my eyes to a wider perspective. I am grateful for your help.<br/></em>
</p>
<p>Hina: Onee-chan, Why don't we head to-</p>
<p>Sayo: Let's go to CHU2's house. Now.</p>
<p>Hina: I was going to say that but okay! This is going to be boppin'!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>A few days later</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>Y/</b>
  </em>
  <em>
    <b>N's</b>
  </em>
  <em>
    <b> POV</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N<em>: Oh boy, its the day of the much anticipated RAS VS Roselia live today! Can't wait for it!</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>So you might be wondering what happened with Sayo? Well, I am as clueless as you are! All I knew was that she came back to practise, and that's about it.</p>
<p>So today was an Arisa's Lesson day, and by the time we were done, it was already close to the time of the live.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Arisa: Y/N, are you going to the RAS vs Roselia Live?</p>
<p>Y/N: You bet I am! Pretty excited to see both of them face off! Are you coming too?</p>
<p>Arisa: All of Popipa is gonna be there for the live.</p>
<p>Y/N: Woah, cool. Well, how about we head out then? Can't make the others wait for too long.</p>
<p>Arisa: Sure.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We packed out bags and headed out of the student council room. When we reached the school gates, the rest of Popipa were waiting for us to arrive.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kasumi: Arisaaaaaa~! Y/N~! You guys are laaaate~!</p>
<p>Arisa: No we are not! We got plenty of time before the live.</p>
<p>Rimi: I wonder who is gonna win...</p>
<p>Saaya: Who knows? Both of them are such amazing bands.</p>
<p>Tae: Come on, guys! We need to head there soon.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And thus we started to go to DUB.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <b>A Few Minutes Later</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>We finally made it to the entrance of DUB, and I was greeted to a familiar sight.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tae: Doesn't this remind you of the time we went to the RAS live show?</p>
<p>Y/N: I am wondering if we went back in time...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We went to the counter to see Kasumi hugging someone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kasumi: Y/N! Meet my younger sister, A-chan!</p>
<p>???: Hello! My name is Toyama Asuka. You might be that boy classmate in my sister's class. I am so sorry if she had caused you any trouble.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Y/N: No, no! It's okay! Nice to meet you too! My name is Y/N L/N!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We got out of the counter finally and made it out to see two boards with filled with stickers.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Asuka: What is this board for?</p>
<p>Tae: It's to choose the band you are excited to see the most.</p>
<p>Asuka: Onee-chan, where are you putting yours?</p>
<p>Kasumi: Hehehe... In the middle?</p>
<p>Arisa: I don't think that's an option...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: You have to choose.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As I look to the side, I see few familiar faces. Uhhhh, they were a band or something that came in CiRCLE, but I forgot their name.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: Yahooo!</p>
<p>Said a silver haired girl with a lazy tone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: This is how they are gonna decide how they are gonna perform first, right?</p>
<p>Said the girl or woman with a long maroon hair. I dunno man, too looks mature.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: Yup!</p>
<p>Said the short, brown haired girl.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: It's a big responsibility, you know!</p>
<p>Said the pink haired girl with big... boobs.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>???: Hey, it's Y/N-san from CiRCLE. What brings you here?</p>
<p>Y/N: Oh, you guys know my name, uhhh...</p>
<p>???: It's Hazawa Tsugumi, nice to meet you!</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p><br/>Moca: Hello! I am the great Moca-chan~! Nice to meet you~!</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p><br/>???: My name is Himari! Nice to meet you, Y/N!</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>???: What's up? My name is Udagawa Tomoe, nice to meet ya!</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>???: Hello. My name is Mitake Ran, nice to meet you. We are all members of Afterglow, and we come over to CiRCLE for practice.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Y/N: Well, who are you guys voting for?</p>
<p>Ran: Well, I am gonna vote for....r..Roselia...</p>
<p>Moca: Oooh~! Has Ran become a Roselia fan~?</p>
<p>Ran: Shut it, Moca! I just wanna watch them perform that's all.</p>
<p>Y/N: You have a history with Roselia?</p>
<p>Himari: Well, let's just say, Yukina and Ran are fierce rivals.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We kept on talking until we decided to vote, and surprisingly, Roselia won the votes. The rest of of the girls went to the stands, while I thought I'd swing by RAS's backstage room.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Hey guys, what's up!</p>
<p>Rokka: O-oh, Y/N-san, what brings you here?</p>
<p>Y/N: Thought I'd swing by, where's Rei though?</p>
<p>Masuki: She might be outside. Hey, Y/N, can you check on her for us?</p>
<p>Y/N: Yeah, sure.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As I exited the room, I started to hear the guitar...</p>
<p>Y/N: <em>Oh shit, the performance began...</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>As I walked down a bit, I saw Rei watching the performance.</p>
<p>Y/N: Hey, Rei, everyone from RAS has been searching for you.</p>
<p>Rei: Oh, Y/N-san. Didn't think I'd see you here.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As I looked at the stage, I see the familiar faces of Roselia, that familiar sight of overflowing passion.</p>
<p>
  <iframe></iframe>
</p>
<p><em>Uragiri</em> <em>wa</em> <em>kurai</em><em> mama fall down</em><br/><em>Kuzure</em> <em>yuku</em> <em>sekai</em> <em>wa</em><br/><em>Kokoro</em> <em>hiki</em> <em>hagashite</em> <em>netsu</em> <em>wo</em> <em>ushinatta</em><br/><em>Imada</em><em> ni </em><em>yowasa</em> <em>nijimu</em><em> on mind</em><br/><em>Mijukusa</em> <em>wo</em> <em>kakaete</em><br/><em>Utau</em> <em>shikaku</em> <em>nante</em> <em>nai</em><em> to </em><em>se</em> <em>wo</em> <em>mukete</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Betrayals stay obscure and fall down</em>
  <br/>
  <em>This collapsing world</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Tore apart my heart and lost warmth</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Even now weakness is spreading on mind</em>
  <br/>
  <em>I embrace my inexperience</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Pretending not to see I have no qualification to sing</em>
</p>
<p><em>roaseta</em> <em>hitomi</em><em> hi </em><em>wo</em> <em>tsuketa</em><br/><em>Anata</em><em> no </em><em>kotoba</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Your words turned on a flame</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Into my empty eyes</em>
</p>
<p><em>Louder...!</em><br/><em>You're my everything (You're my everything)</em><br/><em>Kagayaki</em> <em>afure</em> <em>yuku</em> <em>anata</em><em> no </em><em>oto</em> <em>wa</em><br/><em>Watashi</em><em> no </em><em>oto</em> <em>de</em><em> try to... </em><em>tsutaetai</em><em> no</em><br/><em>I'm </em><em>movin</em><em>' on with you (</em><em>movin</em><em>' on with you)</em><br/><em>Todoketai</em><em> yo </em><em>subete</em><br/><em>Anata</em> <em>ga</em> <em>ita</em><em> kara </em><em>watashi</em> <em>ga</em> <em>ita</em> <em>ndayo</em><br/><em>No more need to cry </em><em>kitto</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Louder...!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>You are my everything (You are my everything)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Your sound, overflowing with light</em>
  <br/>
  <em>With my sound tries to... wants to tell</em>
  <br/>
  <em>I'm </em>
  <em>movin</em>
  <em>' on with you (</em>
  <em>movin</em>
  <em>' on with you)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>I want to give you everything</em>
  <br/>
  <em>I was there because of you</em>
  <br/>
  <em>No more need to cry, I'm sure</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As I looked towards Rei, she had this very determined look on her eyes, as if the dam of passion inside of her is gonna break and take over. I knew from looking at her that RAS was definitely gonna win.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: So Rei, what do you think about the performance?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rei: I am gonna be honest, I was pretty hesitant about all the RAS vs Roselia thing, but now, as I watch the performance, I want to give my everything. I want to challenge Roselia with my skills. No, I want all of us, RAS, to challenge Roselia with our skills.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Oh boy, release the hounds, they say.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Y/N: Well, I'll be supporting you all. Good luck and put up an amazing performance out there.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I finally got back with the girls. They seemed to be worried.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Saaya: Y/N? Where were you all this time?</p>
<p>Y/N: Oh, I thought I'd give RAS a visit. Anyways, I did watch the performance and looks like Roselia gave it their all!</p>
<p>Tomoe: AKO!!!! YOU ROCK!!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Oh yeah, I had a doubt in my mind that Tomoe and Ako are sisters. Oh well, that confirms it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As I looked onto the stage, the familiar greenish-blue light surrounded the stage, and they began...</p>
<p>
  <iframe></iframe>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Kokoro no fuchikara shita wo namezuri</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Kurai jumon narabete Aiming for..</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Egao de kyōbō sa wo Calm down tashinamete</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Kamen wo tokkae hikkae yatteru</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Show time!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>From the depths of your heart, it's licking its lips</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Along with dark spells, Aiming for...</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Hiding my ferocity with smiles; Calm down, this is torture</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Changing and replacing this mask</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Show time!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Hi★ What happened?</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Tsuneni nanika no shindorōmu de dorodoro</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Anshin? (NO!) Heijōshin? (NO!)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Itsumade yatten no? Ohima nandesu no?</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Listen with attention...</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Let's buchikowashite</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Countdown 3, 2, 1)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Ready go!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Hi ★ What happened?</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Some kind of syndrome has already oozed through</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Relief? (NO!) Peace of mind? (NO!)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>How long are you going to keep this up? Don't you have anything to do?</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Listen with attention...</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Let's destroy</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Countdown 3, 2, 1)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Ready go!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mark my words!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Nani mo kamo ima sugu sarakedase (EVERYBODY)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Kemono mitaku sakebe yo You can change your world!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Bokutachi no uta de "Welcome to US"</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Let it go... Let it go... Let it go...</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Get your gun! Let's Shoot! Bang! Bang!)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Shōshisenban uchi kudake!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Get your gun! Let's shoot! Bang! Bang!)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Gizenshatachi yo baibai</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mark my word!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>At this instant, expose anything and everything (EVERYDAY)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Scream like beasts! You can change your world!</em>
  <br/>
  <em>With our song, "Welcome to US"</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Let it go... Let it go... Let it go...</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Get your gun! Let's shoot! Bang! Bang!)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Ridiculous. Shoot it up</em>
  <br/>
  <em>(Get your gun! Let's shoot! Bang! Bang!)</em>
  <br/>
  <em>Bye bye, hypocrites</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Shivers went down through my spine, again. And so did through the others. RAS's performance, especially Rei was just beyond top tier. To me, it was pretty obvious who was the winner here, and it was neither Roselia nor RAS. The true winner here was music...<br/><br/>It was time for us to vote, and in all honesty, I didn't know who to vote for. Both of them were equally good, but I had to vote for RAS. There was something about Rei's vocals today that stood out from the previous performance... probably what she said to me was the reason she was able to perform this well...<br/><br/></p>
<p>Arisa: Both of them were amazing...<br/><br/>Tae: There was more passion in Rei's voice than usual...<br/><br/></p>
<p>As the voting phase was over, both the bands appeared on stage.<br/><br/><br/>CHU2: Thanks for sticking around, everyone! Have you cast your votes?<br/><br/></p>
<p>As the crowds responded to her question, she turned towards Yukina and asked-<br/><br/></p>
<p>CHU2: How are you feeling at the moment, Yukina.<br/><br/></p>
<p>She was silent her usual ice-cold face with that piercing stare...<br/><br/></p>
<p>CHU2: Well then, let's announce the winners!<br/><br/></p>
<p> </p>
<p>As the screen starts to run down the votes both of the bands have gotten, anxiety and nervousness hit me hard. Even though I knew both of them performed well, I still felt it. I don't know I did...<br/><br/></p>
<p>The background music stopped and the crowd looked at the scores. Roselia- 620, RAS- <b>671. </b>They defeated Roselia...<br/><br/><br/></p>
<p>CHU2: YES! YES! YES! What do you think of THAT! Yukina? With this, we have established our raison d'etre and proven our music worthy of the crown!</p>
<p><br/><br/>I saw CHU2 mumbling something without her mic, and then all of a sudden...<br/><br/>CHU2: I CAN'T HEAR YOU! RAS! RAS!<br/><br/></p>
<p>The rest of the crowd started chanting RAS! RAS! RAS! with their full force. Being a Roselia member on stage isn't the best, that's for sure. It's the sign of utter humiliation and a major failure for a band that chooses their stage to perform with they deem worthy. They have a long way to go to redeem themselves...</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <em>
    <b>To be continued<br/><br/><br/>Author's Note: Holy damn, that was a long chapter! Anyways, thank you guys so much for reading! As it pains me to say this, 'A Ray Of Hope'  will be on hold for a while...  Sadly its exams season, and I gotta put my 120% into it, since I haven't studied jack shit the whole year! I'll be back maybe only after a month or so and I'm extremely gutted to be doing this.</b>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <b></b>
  <em></em>
  <b>THANK YOU! The one who is reading this, for actually taking the time to read this stupid fanfic.<br/><br/>I'm not gonna say any goodbyes because this isn't a farewell. I'll be back.</b>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. 39</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><b><em>Sayo's POV<br/><br/></em></b><em>I don't remember how long it has been since I started practising today, but it looks like my fingers are starting to hurt a bit now...<br/><br/></em>As I start to think about getting done with practise today, that humiliating scene kept getting replayed on my mind. That moment where we had to put our heads down, and the day that we couldn't be at our best for our fans...<br/><br/>As that memory started coming back to me, I picked up the guitar and started to practise again so that I can forget about it.<br/><br/><em>I wonder what he thought about it though...<br/><br/><b><br/></b></em></p><p><em><b>Y/N's POV<br/><br/></b></em>ACHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!<br/><br/><em>What the hell, am I getting a cold or what...<br/><br/></em>Days have gone by since the RAS vs Roselia live, and Roselia is back to practising hard for the 'Over the Future' concert. Since the concert is really important for the 'Future World Festival', I wonder how they are gonna deal with it, especially after what happened...<br/><br/>As I snap out of my thoughts, I see Lisa coming out from their practise session.<br/><br/><br/>Lisa: Hey, Y/N~! Can we extend our session to one more hour?<br/><br/>Y/N: Yea sure! Oh damn, you guys have been practising for 5 hours now? Don't you think it's getting pretty late?<br/><br/>Lisa: Well, we wanna get prepared for the 'Over The Future' concert, so we gotta grind out all the hours!<br/><br/>Y/N: Hmm. Oh yeah, how were you guys doing after that live?<br/><br/>Lisa: Well, to be honest, losing was kinda frustrating. There was also the thought that we let our fans down too. So, we thought we would take this defeat for us to evolve as a band! Kinda cool, don't you think?<br/><br/><br/>Roselia is way more mature than I thought. Even though they take pride in what stage they sing and their perfection, they do know how to deal with defeats.<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: Oh yeah, where's Sayo-senpai?<br/><br/>Lisa: Oh, she is just finishing up. I think she is kinda hung up over our last show... She is working even harder than usual.<br/><br/>Y/N: Tell her not to overdo it. Can't have one of you guys getting unwell to the point that you can't perform for the concert.<br/><br/>Lisa: Will do, Y/N! Thank you for your concerns! By the way, I wanna ask you something...<br/><br/>Y/N: What's up?<br/><br/>Lisa: What did you think of that live show?<br/><br/>Y/N: Hmm, I think both the bands were at their best. It's just that RAS had that extra something to get that win...<br/><br/>Lisa: That extra something huh...<br/><br/>Y/N: Well, I hope that you guys do well at the concert!</p><p>Lisa: Sur-<br/><br/><br/>As Lisa was about to finish what she was about to say, we heard someone scream in the hallway.<br/><br/>???: SAYO-SAN!!!<br/><br/>Lisa: That's Ako's voice!<br/><br/></p><p>I didn't think of anything. I dashed towards the source of the panicked scream instantly, as if it was a reflexive move.<br/><br/>When I made it there, I saw Ako panicking and Sayo laying on the ground.<br/><br/>Y/N: SAYO-SENPAI! Ako, move aside, please!<br/><br/>Ako stepped away and stood behind me. I crouched down and I saw Sayo's face is so red, like a tomato. I touched her forehead to check her temperature and...<br/><br/>She's sick. Really sick.<br/><br/>The rest of the Roselia members came in and we all shared the same panic and concerns at that moment.<br/><br/>Y/N: Guys! Let's get her to a doctor! NOW!<br/><br/><br/>Well, I don't remember much afterwards. We rushed towards the hospital and all I remember was what happened afterwards...</p><p> </p><p>Doctor: So, it's just a high fever. There's nothing too serious.<br/><br/>Y/N: The cause?<br/><br/>Doctor: Well, either it is because of winter coming up or probably overexertion...<br/><br/><br/>Bingo, it was overexertion. If only Lisa told me earlier about it...<br/><br/><br/>Doctor: Anyways make sure she gets plenty of rest and get her medicines properly.<br/><br/>Y/N: Okay, doc.<br/><br/><br/>That was relieving. I still can't forget the shock that I had when I saw her on the floor, struggling to breathe. It's good to see that it isn't something very serious...<br/><br/></p><p>Y/N: Hey guys, how about you all head back home? I'll stay here until her parents arrive. It's getting pretty late and you guys need to be in your best shape for the concert.<br/><br/>There was a moment of silence when I finished my sentence.<br/><br/><br/>Ako: No! I am gonna talk to Onee-chan and tell her I am gonna be late!<br/><br/>Lisa: Guys, I think we should go home... Y/N's got a point. It is getting late... How about we all visit her after class tomorrow?<br/><br/>Rinko: I-I think that is better...<br/><br/>Yukina: I think so too. Ako, let's make the rational decision here.<br/><br/>Ako: Okay fine...</p><p> </p><p>She looked pretty dissatisfied. So I stepped in and patted her head.<br/><br/></p><p>Y/N: Hey Ako, I know you care about her, but I am doing this for your own good. Go back home and get some rest. Y'all had a 5 hour practise, didn't you?</p><p>Ako: You're right... guess we can all head back home...<br/><br/>Lisa: Take care of Sayo, Y/N! You know how her personality is, so be careful.</p><p>Y/N: Sure, Lisa.</p><p>Yukina: Hey, Y/N. Thank you for helping us out.<br/><br/>Y/N: No problem, Yukina. You guys are my friends and its natural to help you guys out. Now you guys stay safe.<br/><br/><br/>They walked out of the hospital and to be honest, I'm still pretty worried about what happened.<br/><br/>Sayo getting sick reminded me a bit of my past. Back in the days when we were filled with innocence, my best friend got sick pretty hard and I ran out the way I did when Sayo got sick too. Well, that pretty much tells me that I can't let go of my past. Not like this at least...<br/><br/>So I went to the room Sayo was resting in and she seemed to be in a deep sleep but with a troubled expression on her face.<br/><br/>I sat down nearby her on a chair and I pulled out my phone to read something. That was until-<br/><br/><br/>Sayo: Y/N-san? Where are the others?<br/><br/>Y/N: HOLY- damn that scared me!</p><p>Sayo: Did I do something wrong?<br/><br/>Y/N: No, no. It's fine. And yeah, they left. I told them to go back home since it's getting late.<br/><br/>Sayo: Thank goodness... Thank you Y/N-san for staying along... I can't feel but be held responsible... I am just being a burden to you and them by this point...<br/><br/>Y/N: What do you mean to 'them'? Do you mean Roselia?<br/><br/>Sayo: Yes. First, there was me trying to not have them compete in the competition and that live show with RAS. And now here I am, messing up our practise for the concert...</p><p>Y/N: Why were you so hung up over the live show with RAS? I thought you were not interested in it?<br/><br/>Sayo: That humiliating loss got onto my head way more than I thought it would... but adding insult to injury, there was that chart that they used to vote for who would perform first, and there were all those messages from the fans who have hoped that we would meet their expectations and win against RAS, but we failed to do it. I was filled with guilt and thus I overexerted... I thought there was something better that I could have done... It's so frustrating...<br/><br/>Y/N: I think you should be looking at it from a different perspective...<br/><br/>Sayo: What do you mean?<br/><br/>Y/N: You guys are a band that has been revolved around you five. The fans don't interact with you guys a lot and neither do you guys. So, instead of seeing that support that you have gotten as a way to create a burden on yourself, you should be using that as a source of encouragement! Also, from this live show, you are able to understand how RAS works as a band as well! Sometimes you gain experiences working along with others and that you couldn't have gotten by yourselves. You should use that as a way to evolve yourselves and aspire for even greater things.<br/><br/>Sayo: Y/N-san... Do you think that's why Minato-san chose to face off against RAS?<br/><br/>Y/N: Probably, but oh well. At the end of the day, stop being so hard on yourself, Senpai.<br/><br/>Sayo: Thank you, Y/N-san. Also no need to call me Senpai outside of school. You can call me Sayo.<br/><br/>Y/N: Uhhh, that'd be kinda awkward!<br/><br/>Sayo: Also, do you mind being Roselia's manager? You seem to be well knowledged about how others think?<br/><br/></p><p>She said that with a bit of a chuckle, almost as if she were teasing me.<br/><br/></p><p>Y/N: Ehehe, I would suck at it. I just talk out of my mind. It's not like I know human psychology or anything.</p><p> </p><p>There was a bit of awkward silence after that, so I tried to break it.</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: So, S-S-SAYO! Uhh, you want anything to drink or eat or...<br/><br/>Oh, she fell asleep.<br/><br/><br/>She seemed to be sleeping at peace as if all that burden on her went away without a trace.<br/><br/><br/>After a while, Sayo's parents and her sister came.<br/><br/></p><p>Lady: Thank you for taking care of my daughter. We are forever grateful.<br/><br/>Y/N: No, it's alright. I just took care of my friend, that's all.<br/><br/><br/>And they picked her up from there and left.<br/><br/><br/>I was walking back home until my phone started buzzing.<br/><br/>Y/N: <em>Who could be calling this late at night...<br/><br/></em>To my surprise, it was Saaya. So naturally, I answered.<br/><br/></p><p>Y/N: Hi, Saaya! What's up?</p><p>Saaya: Oh, hi Y/N! I wanted to ask you for a favour</p><p>Wait, what?</p><p> </p><p>Saaya: Y/N, can you come nearby the bakery after classes tomorrow? I wanted to talk to you so...</p><p>Y/N: Sure. I'll be there.<br/><br/>Saaya: Thanks, Y/N! I'll see you tomorrow!</p><p><br/>And she hung up. Well, that was weird...</p><p>Y/N: I wonder what she wants to talk about? Probably Popipa stuff. <b>*Yawn* </b>gotta head back home, I am so beat...<br/><br/><br/><b><em>Saaya's POV<br/><br/></em></b><em>I finally set up the spot! Now all I need to do is to tell him!<br/><br/>Tomorrow I will finally confess my feelings to him!<br/><br/><br/><b><br/></b></em></p><p>
  <em> <b>To be Continued</b> </em>
</p><p>
  <b> Author's Note: What's up everyone, Vic here! Most of y'all might be wondering why I released a chapter despite me announcing that I wouldn't release one soon! Well, uhh let's just say I got a bit of free time, so I decided to write a chapter! It kinda felt weird writing after a few weeks, so pardon me if this chapter is too short or too choppy!<br/><br/>Thank you for reading and I will you in the next chapter!</b>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Feelings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><b> <em>Saaya's POV<br/><br/></em> </b> <em>Oh damn, I am so nervous! I thought they were exaggerating when they took 100+ chapters for a confession in Nisekoi, but now I know why...<br/><br/>I am so nervous and scared! What if he rejects me? No way, he is too nice for that... oh wait, am I taking advantage of his kindness?<br/><br/>No, Saaya. Don't be so selfish. If he rejects you, it's understandable. I mean, we are only 9 chapters in... wait why am I talking about chapters? Oh god, the jitters are getting onto my head. I gotta distract myself somehow till these classes end.<br/><br/>I can't wait.<br/><br/><br/><b>Y/N's POV<br/><br/></b>Saaya wanted to meet me today... I wonder what it is about...<br/><br/>I couldn't help but remember a scene from the past...<br/><br/></em></p><p>
  <em>???: Hey, Y/N... Can we talk at my home after class? It's pretty important so... will you be there?</em>
</p><p>
  <em><br/>Y/N: Sure! I'll be there.<br/><br/><br/><br/>If someone told me to name that according to a WatchMojo video, it would be 'Top 10 Moments before Disaster'...<br/><br/></em>
</p><p><b><em>After Class<br/><br/></em></b>As the bell started to chime, I started to clear up my desk and started to head out until-<br/><br/>???: Hey, Y/N! Where do you think you're going?<br/><br/><br/>As I turned around, I saw a furious Arisa.<br/><br/>Y/N: What is it, Arisa?<br/><br/>Arisa: Oh god... did you forgot what day it is today?<br/><br/><br/>I tried to recall what day it was today until it struck me. It was the day when Arisa was supposed to teach me.<br/><br/>Y/N: Ahaha... don't you have practise to go to?<br/><br/>Arisa: Yes, but Sensei is been on me about how there has been a lack of classes between us. So yeah, we gotta have a class today<br/><br/></p><p>As much as I love to, Arisa. I can't. Gotta get to Saaya somehow...<br/><br/></p><p>Y/N: I'd love to have you teach me, but I gotta go. I have an emergency today so...<br/><br/>Arisa: Uhuh... awfully suspicious...<br/><br/>Y/N: What do you mean suspicious?<br/><br/>Arisa: Well, nothing. I'll talk to Sensei about the class. You can get going.</p><p><br/>Just like that?<br/><br/>And thus I made my way out of the school and started to head towards Yamabuki Bakery.<br/><br/><br/><em><b>Arisa's POV<br/><br/></b>Today's been pretty weird. First, there was Saaya who told us she won't be at practise and now there is Y/N who said there was an emergency...<br/><br/>Saaya's also been very awkward around Y/N too... does that mean... Nah! There's no way!<br/><br/></em>All of a sudden, the door swiftly opened up and it was Kasumi.<br/><br/></p><p>Kasumi: ARIIIIISAAAAAA~! Come on! Let's head back to your home and do some planning for the live show.<br/><br/>Arisa: Sure, sure. Give me a second.<br/><br/><br/><em>I wonder what is going on...<br/><br/></em></p><p>
  <b> <em>A few minutes later<br/></em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>Y/N's POV</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>I finally made it to Yamabuki bakery but I didn't see anyone outside.</p><p>I picked up my phone and messaged Saaya that I am outside of her house. She told me that she took a detour and she will be there in a minute.<br/><br/><em>I wonder what she even wants to talk about privately? I mean, didn't she have to go to practise today?<br/><br/><br/></em>???: Hey Y/N!!!<br/><em><br/></em>I looked towards the source of that call and I saw Saaya jogging from the distance. Seems like she really wants to talk to me.<br/><br/>She finally made it.</p><p>Saaya: *pant* *pant* I am so sorry I made you wait. I needed to pick some stuff for the bakery.<br/><br/>Y/N: Yeah, it's not a problem. Anyways, what did you want to talk about?<br/><br/>Saaya: Give me a second. I need to put this stuff away before I talk to you.<br/><br/>Y/N: Alright, take your time.<br/><br/>Saaya: I am sorry for making you wait for so long. I'll be right back!<br/><br/><br/>And she went inside.<br/><br/>For some reason, I felt very nervous. I don't know why, but it was like something serious is about to happen. I gotta get my guard up. Can't let that happen again...</p><p> </p><p>
  <em><b>Saaya's POV<br/><br/></b>Alright, Saaya! This is the moment you have been waiting for. The moment I step outside, there is no turning back. This is your last chance to muster all that courage and express your feelings.<br/><br/>Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out.<br/><br/>Alright. Here I go.<br/><br/></em>
</p><p>
  <em> <b>Y/N's POV</b><br/></em>
</p><p>And finally, Saaya came back. She looked kinda... nervous?<br/><br/></p><p>Y/N: So, what did you wanna talk about?</p><p>Saaya: Well, uhhhhh... how do I put this together? Uhhhhhh-</p><p>Y/N: Is something wrong? Do you need any help?</p><p><br/>She is blushing like hell. Oh god, please don't be what I think it is.</p><p><br/>Saaya: Well, uhh... Y/N! I wanted to ask whether if you... uh... wanted to.... uhhhh... g-go OUT WITH ME!!!</p><p><br/>*insert surprised Pikachu face*</p><p><br/>Saaya: You see, ever since you came to town, you kind of intrigued me being the only guy in the school and to get an opportunity to be close to a guy looked pretty good to me. But then you wouldn't talk to anyone and even when I tried to strike up a conversation you wouldn't stick around for it. And now that you've been a lot open with everyone and I got to know you better, this feeling inside of me has been growing to the point that I can't keep it hidden from you!</p><p>Y/N: ...I can't.</p><p>Saaya: Wha...</p><p>Y/N: I'm sorry Saaya, but not now. I just... can't...</p><p><br/>Deep down, I just couldn't trust anyone. They say that I am being more open. Yea, I am, but I am afraid 'that' will happen again.</p><p><br/>Saaya: Wha... why? Why can't you accept my feeling???</p><p>...</p><p>I just stood there silently. I want to tell her, but I knew what the consequences were if I were to do so. So I didn't want to.</p><p>She was heartbroken. She looked devastated. I knew that I wasn't doing the right thing, but I had to.</p><p><br/>Saaya: Please tell me WHY?!</p><p>That look on her face haunted me. Her eyes were bawling out and the desperation is so visible.</p><p><br/>Y/N: When you lose your trust in an individual, you take that out as the general outlook. I've been stabbed in the back once. My life was destroyed, annihilated and obliterated. I can't go through that again... I just need time. At the moment, I am not in any way able to accept you. But, give me some time to-</p><p>Saaya: Y/N! I TOLD YOU I CAN'T KEEP THIS FEELING TO MYSELF FOR SO LO-</p><p><br/>I hugged her out of desperation. It was a total deja vu to the last time I hugged her but now under different circumstances.  I didn't want to see the face of the girl who was so strong and so happy, someone who radiated positivity all around the people around her, with a face streaming with tears and desperation. She mustered all that courage and conveyed her feelings only for me to not accept them. But she shouldn't be with me. I can't hide the truth from her anymore, because all these feelings that she has for me is a lie, feelings towards a facade. When she knows the truth, she will reject the feelings that she had for me.</p><p>I embraced her again to calm her down. I leaned my head towards her ear and whispered...</p><p>Y/N: Do you want to be in a relationship with a boy who was accused of...</p><p><br/>When she heard what I said, her eyes were shot wide open. She looked at my face. That stare filled with shock and terror still to this day is imprinted into my mind.</p><p><br/>Saaya: W-what do you mean?</p><p>She asked, staring directly into my soul.</p><p>Y/N: It means what it means, Saaya. I've been accused of something that I didn't do and my life was annihilated because of it. I lost everything, the trust of my friends, my family and I lost trust in others and even myself. I am sorry, Saaya. I was trying to put my past behind me. Please give me some time to consider your fee-</p><p>Saaya: "You've been through a lot, and you became who you are because of it."</p><p>Y/N: Twisting my words now are y-</p><p>I suddenly choked on my words and started to cry. To know the fact that there is someone who deeply cares about me even after knowing the truth and not reject me made me so relieved and so happy as if all my burdens went away without a trace.<br/><br/>Saaya finally got off of me and wiped her tears off and faced towards me.</p><p> </p><p>Saaya: I'll wait for you. Please take your time. It takes time to heal that wound, but you will be able to. I know you can.</p><p>Y/N: Thanks, and I'm sorry, Saaya. I'm glad though, to know that someone cares for me deeply...</p><p>Saaya: Hey, all of us do. Don't worry about not getting enough care! Don't forget, we are here for you, I am here for you...</p><p>Y/N: Thanks, Saaya. I'll be on my way.</p><p><br/>I didn't want to look back. I didn't want to see her face again after what happened. But I knew running away from it isn't something that I can do. I have to respond to her feelings... because she didn't reject me even though she knew the truth about me...</p><p>
  <br/>
  <em> <b>Saaya's POV</b> </em>
</p><p>Even though I told him to take his time and I understand why he took that decision, part of me was shattered and a little angry.</p><p>I didn't have the energy to do anything for the rest of the day. So I went back to my room and laid down on my bed.</p><p>I tried to close my eyes and sleep, but then, precious memories of Y/N would come flashing before me. That day when we ran to the school, the times he came to the bakery, his smiles, his hug...</p><p>Saaya: <em>Why, God, WHY??? I put my all into it... then why is my heart broken?</em></p><p>Tears started to flow out of my eyes and it was pouring uncontrollably. I dug my face towards my pillow and cried out loud.<br/><br/>I don't remember how long I cried, but eventually, I stopped. I lifted up my face from the pillow and it was soaking.<br/><br/>I started to think about what Y/N told me, how he was accused of something that he didn't even do and had his life turned upside down because of it.<br/><br/>The fact that Y/N, the nicest man I ever knew, had such a dark past shocked me a lot. Who could take advantage of someone like Y/N? He became broken and shattered because of that person and what they did was unacceptable...</p><p>As much as I like to dig a bit deep and find out more, I have to distance myself from Y/N's personal matters. After all, he is still recovering from the whole thing and he and I can't imagine how he would react if he found out if I tried to dig into his personal matters.<br/><br/>But my mind took me back to when he started crying. He looked like he was at ease as if all the worries went away from him.<br/><br/>I hope I did at least a little bit of help to heal up the wound he suffered... and I hope he accepts my feelings one day...<br/><br/>I'll be waiting for you, Y/N.<br/><br/><br/><b><em>To be continued<br/><br/>Author's Note: Wassup everyone, Vic here! Thank you for reading the new chapter of my fanfic! I hope you all enjoyed it! This has been the hardest chapter for me to write and  I had to make plenty of alterations here and there but here I am finally done with the chapter. From this chapter, we get a gist of what Y/N's past is about but I chose to not reveal it yet because I will do that in the future chapters.<br/><br/>Also, I've been getting questions about when Pastel*Palettes and Hello Happy World! will be introduced. They will be introduced later on and they will get their focus chapter of their own!<br/><br/>As for Morfonica however, as much as I'd love to include them in the fanfic, they are the band that I don't have a good grasp of their characteristic. So I decided to not include them. Including characters that I do not have a good idea of could really affect the quality of the fanfic (not like it is high quality) and it would also be hard for me to drive the narrative. I hope you all understand.<br/><br/>Also, leave a comment down below on what you thought of this chapter.<br/></em></b><br/><b><em><strong>Now I shall stop being a cheesy fuck and end this author's note.<br/><br/>If you have any suggestions, leave a comment or message me on my discord Vic5 ヴィック5#0427.<br/><br/>Thank you and have a good day! Cheers!<br/></strong></em></b></p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10 - Panic at the D̶i̶s̶c̶o Bathhouse</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b> <em>A few days later<br/></em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>After School</em> </b>
</p><p><br/>It's been a few days since Saaya opened up to me and I haven't talked to her a lot since then. But whenever I am with Popipa, she is herself all the time, smiling and supportive. I really have to talk to her properly soon...<br/><br/></p><p>???: Y/N!!! Y/N!!!<br/><br/></p><p>I turned around to look who was calling me out loud, and it was Kasumi and the rest of Popipa. Wonder what's up.<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: Hey, Kasumi. What's up?<br/><br/>Kasumi: Y/N! Saaya wants to ask you for a favour!<br/><br/><br/>Wait what, SAAYA??? Oh shit, is it about the thing??? Oh God, I am not ready...<br/><br/><br/>Saaya: The old shopkeepers in the Shopping District were about to go for a vacation today at the bathhouse, but they threw their backs and apparently, it's non-cancellable reservations too. So, we were about to head there but we needed one more person along with us. So, I wanted to ask whether if you wanna tag along...<br/><br/><br/>Phew, so that was what Saaya wanted. Thought she wanted to talk about the whole thing about what happened a few days ago... WAIT A SECOND, BATHHOUSE WITH GIRLS!!! OH SHIT, OH SHIT! ISN'T IT TOO SOON FOR A FANSERVICE EPISODE?!<br/><br/><br/>Tae: Oh, Y/N is blushing! I am sure he is thinking abou-<br/><br/>Y/N: IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!<br/><br/>Arisa: Y/N, you pervert.<br/><br/>Y/N: STOP IT! Alright, I'll be there. Lemme talk to Marina-san and tell her that I won't be there for work today and go back to my home so that I can pack up my stuff.<br/><br/>Saaya: Sure! Well actually, I'll tag along with you. I need to get my stuff too.<br/><br/><br/>Ah shit. Didn't see that coming.<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: A-alright. We'll be back in a bit.<br/><br/><br/>And thus we started the long walk towards Downtown. We walked together a lot, but this might have been the weirdest and the most awkward ones by far. Guess I gotta break the ice...<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: So, Saaya. Did you tell anyone about it?</p><p>Saaya: No, I did not. I just thought it would be better that it stays between the two of us...</p><p>Y/N: I'll be honest with you, I was kinda shocked when Kasumi told me that you had a favour to ask, but yeah, I think it should stay between us.<br/><br/><br/>Suddenly I felt like someone was pulling my shirt, I looked around to see Saaya pouting at me?<br/><br/></p><p>Y/N: Uhh, Saaya? Why are you pouting?<br/><br/>Saaya: I mean, you haven't talked to me in a few days and I was wondering whether if it was because of what happened...<br/><br/>Y/N: I thought you needed some personal space for a while, that's all. I wasn't trying to avoid you or anything.<br/><br/><br/>I lied. I was avoiding her. I can't explain it, but, it's just that I can't seem to face her after what happened...<br/><br/><br/>Saaya: Oh well, I recuperated after what happened. And I can't keep being gloomy around Popipa either. They can find out if something is weird quite easily so...<br/><br/>Y/N: You got some really caring friends. If it's hard to move on, talk to them about it. They will be a huge help for sure.<br/><br/>Saaya: Thanks, Y/N. Now, let's keep going or they are gonna get worried.<br/><br/>Y/N: Yeah, let's do that!<br/><br/><br/>I am glad the awkwardness was put to an end.<br/><br/><br/><b><em>A few minutes later</em></b><br/><em><b><br/></b></em></p><p>
  <em> <b>At the Apartment</b> </em>
</p><p> </p><p>I was packing all my stuff up until my phone started buzzing.<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: Hello?<br/><br/>???: ARE YA WINNIN', SON?<br/><br/></p><p>Oh God, it's dad.<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: Dad, no.<br/><br/>Dad: Ahahaha, thought I kept up with the new generation but sounded kinda weird, did I?<br/><br/>Y/N: Yes, you did sound weird. But nice to know you are keeping up.<br/><br/>Dad: Anyways, how are ya? Been ages since you called little ol' me!<br/><br/>Y/N: I'm just busy with school and my part-time job. Sorry that I didn't get any time to call you...<br/><br/>Dad: Nah, it's alright. Did you get a girlfriend though?<br/><br/>Y/N: DAD!<br/><br/>Dad: Haha, still single, I see. Well, learn to enjoy life my boy, but don't forget to drop by over here.<br/><br/>Y/N: Hmm, I'll have a visit back home soon. Don't worry.<br/><br/>Dad: Yeah, that's more like it! Now my football matches ain't gonna be boring.<br/><br/>Y/N: Haha, I can imagine. Well, stay safe, dad. I'll call you later.<br/><br/><br/>And I went back to packing my stuff. Must be lonely for my dad since I am not over there. Well, you gotta do what you gotta do, I guess.<br/><br/>And I finally was done packing all my stuff up. Got some essentials and nothing more than that.</p><p>I waited for Saaya to come and we headed to the location which wasn't very far. When we reached there, we saw a horde of girls near the bus.<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: Holy smokes, there is a lot of girls here.<br/><br/>Saaya: Hey, I see Afterglow, Hello Happy and RAS!</p><p>Y/N: 'Hello Happy'?<br/><br/>Saaya: Wait, you've never met them before?<br/><br/>Y/N: Actually no, I haven't.<br/><br/>Saaya: Well then. I'll introduce them to you.<br/><br/><br/>She took me to the odd bunch of girls. I saw a little girl with large, rounded yellow eyes and long, straight, waist-length platinum blonde hair, another girl with copper eyes and short, bright orange hair and lastly a girl with pale grey eyes and shoulder-length black hair that seems thin. They seemed oddly familiar until I realized we are in the same school.<br/><br/>???: MISAKI~!!!! When is Michelle going to arrive???<br/><br/>???: Yea, Misaki! Where's Michelle?<br/><br/>'Misaki': Uhh, Michelle will be here soon, guys!<br/><br/><br/>What are they even talking about?<br/><br/><br/>Saaya: Hey guys!<br/><br/>???: Hi Saaya! Wait, aren't you Y/N from our school?<br/><br/>Y/N: Wait, you know me?<br/><br/>'Misaki': Everyone from our school does since you are the only boy.<br/><br/><br/>Forgot about that.<br/><br/><br/>???: My name is Tsurumaki Kokoro. Make sure to keep smiling!<br/><br/></p><p>
  
</p><p>Wow, she looks pretty happy.<br/><br/>???: Hey! Hey~! My name is Kitazawa Hagumi, nice to meet you!</p><p>
  
</p><p>Okay so, we got a happy-go-lucky type, an energetic one too. What's next.<br/><br/><br/>'Misaki': My name is Misaki, Michelle's agent. Nice to meet you.</p><p>
  
</p><p>Oh here is the dead-beat type. Well, I think that's about it.<br/><br/><br/>Kokoro: And together, we are Hello Happy World!<br/><br/>Hagumi: Wait a second, where's Kaoru and Kanon-senpai?<br/><br/><br/>Wait, more?<br/><br/><br/>Kokoro went ahead and dragged two more people, one looking like a guy??? Who looks pretty tall with angular facial features, slanted crimson eyes, and long purple hair worn in a ponytail, and another girl with big violet eyes and long, curly pale blue hair worn loose with a section held in a side tail.</p><p> </p><p>Kokoro: Kaoru, Kanon! Meet Y/N!<br/><br/></p><p>Wait, we familiar this quick?<br/><br/><br/>Kaoru: Greetings, fellow knight! My name is Kaoru Seta and it is my pleasure to meet you.<br/><br/></p><p>
  
</p><p><br/>Y/N: Uhh, hi?<br/><br/><br/>Bruh this dude kinda weird. Wait, he's got Haneoka's uniform and a skirt. DON'T TELL ME HE'S A SHE!<br/><br/><br/>'Kanon': FUEEEEE! Uhhh, m-my name is Matsubara Kanon. I-it's nice to meet you, Y-Y/N<br/><br/></p><p>
  
</p><p><br/>She's kinda cute though... wait a second.<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: Hey, aren't you a third year?<br/><br/>Kanon: Y-yes?<br/><br/>Y/N: Nice to meet you, Kanon-senpai! Seen you around school a couple of times!<br/><br/><br/>All of a sudden, I heard Tsumugi grabbing all of our attention from the distance.<br/><br/><br/>Tsugumi: Everyone! Can I get a headcount?<br/><br/>Himari: Afterglow here!<br/><br/>Ako: All members of Roselia is here!<br/><br/>Misaki: Hello Happy is here too.<br/><br/>Kasumi: Popipa too!<br/><br/>Rokka: Three members of RAS is here!<br/><br/><br/>Wait only three, where's CHU2 and PAREO?<br/><br/>Since they are taking a headcount, might as well respond.<br/><br/></p><p>Y/N: The only guy in the group is here!<br/><br/><br/>Suddenly there was a lot of mumbling and little talks... I wonder what it was about.<br/><br/>And finally, we got onto the bus and on our way to the bathhouse.<br/><br/><br/><b><em>A few minutes later<br/><br/>At the Lounge<br/><br/><br/></em></b><em>Wh-Wha-What is this chaos!!!<br/><br/></em>At the lounge, it was a bloody mess. There were hordes of girls and I could hear everyone talking. I could hear someone calling out the bands, the chit-chat and it's making me dizzy.</p><p>All of a sudden, I could hear Rokka calling me out in the midst of all that chaos<br/><br/><br/>Rokka: Y/N!<br/><br/>Y/N: Yea, what's up?<br/><br/>Rokka: Your room is in the main building, along with Popipa, RAS and Hello Happy.<br/><br/>Y/N: Oh cool. Thanks for letting me know.<br/><br/><br/>I picked up my stuff and was about to head to the main building until I saw Sayo? Oh wait, Hina. Wonder what she is doing here.<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: Hey Hina, haven't seen you in a while.<br/><br/>Hina: Y/N! It sure is boppin' to see you too! Thanks for taking care of Onee-chan!</p><p>Y/N: It's a pleasure. Anyways, what are you doing here in the bathhouse?</p><p>Hina: Oh, I had a shooting for a TV show with Pasupare!<br/><br/>Y/N: Passu-Pare?<br/><br/>Hina: Wait, you don't know Pasupare?<br/><br/>Y/N: No?<br/><br/><br/>She swiftly grabbed my arm and dragged me towards a group of girls whose hairs look like the colour pattern for Power Rangers or Super Sentai or whatever you call it.</p><p> </p><p>???: Hina-chan. Didn't we tell you to not run off without our morning shooting schedule being fixed... wait... is that you, Y/N?<br/><br/>Wait a second, I've seen her before. WOAH WOAH WOAH... Is she THE Shirasagi Chisato!? The famous child actress who is in our school? I keep hearing about the girls talking on and on and on and on about her and I've also seen one of her Drama series on the TV, but never have I ever thought that I'd see her here.<br/><br/><br/>Hina: Wait, you know Y/N?<br/><br/>Chisato: Yeah, he attends our school...<br/><br/>Hina: What! Why are you attending a girl's school, Y/N?<br/><br/>Y/N: I'd rather not talk about it... anyway, is this pasuu-pare or something that you wanna introduce me to...<br/><br/>Hina: Oh yea, guys! Y/N here helped my Onee-chan while she was sick and also he wanted to meet you guys! So, let's introduce ourselves!<br/><br/><br/>And then the girl with large pink eyes and shoulder-length, pastel pink hair with wavy ends started to introduce herself.<br/><br/></p><p>???: Colouring the mountains cutely, Maruyama Aya here! I am the vocalist of Pastel Palettes, nice to meet you!</p><p>
  
</p><p><br/>What the hell is that intro... anyway, she looking kinda cute.<br/><br/><br/>Chisato: My name is Shirasagi Chisato. I am the bassist of Pastel Palletes. It's a pleasure to meet you.</p><p>
  
</p><p><br/>Oh damn, she looks like a pretty serious person...<br/><br/><br/>Eve: Greetings, Y/N. My name is Wakamiya Eve and I am the pianist of Pastel Palettes. I follow the way of the Bushido.</p><p>
  
</p><p>Y/N: Bushido?<br/><br/>Chisato: Don't ask.<br/><br/></p><p>Okay???<br/><br/></p><p>???: My name is Yamato Maya. I am the drummer of Pastel Palettes. Nice to meet you, Y/N!</p><p>
  
</p><p><br/>Okay, she looks normal. Thank god...<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: Well guys, it's nice to meet you all! I'm gonna go back to my room and put my stuff over there.<br/><br/><br/>So I went to the main building and put my stuff over there. I thought I'd sit down and have a breather because that lounge was chaotic as hell.<br/><br/>I could hear the Popipa girls from across since my room is nearby theirs.<br/><br/><em>So loud.<br/><br/></em>After a while, I got out of my room to get some coffee from the vending machine and go sit down by the view.<em><br/></em></p><p>
  
</p><p>But then, I saw Lisa and Rei talking over there.<br/><br/><br/>Lisa: Hey, Y/N~! You by yourself?<br/><br/>Y/N: Duh. Can't go to a bath when all the girls are in it.<br/><br/>Lisa: Y/N trying to suppress his pervertedness, hehehe...<br/><br/>Y/N: LISA!!!<br/><br/><br/>We shared some laughter and I proceeded to sit along with them.<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: Rei-san, where's Masuki and Rock?<br/><br/>Rei: Lock-chan went with Hana-chan and Masuki is at the arcade. I thought I would walk around until I saw Imai-san here.<br/><br/><br/>We talked a bit afterwards until Rei brought up something.<br/><br/><br/>Rei: I was feeling kinda awkward...<br/><br/>Lisa: How so?<br/><br/>Rei: I'm not very used to hanging out with people around my own age.<br/><br/>Lisa: Really?<br/><br/><br/>I felt like she wasn't the most social person out there. Looks like my guess was right.<br/><br/><br/>Rei: I've never been on field trips or anything like that and I switched schools a lot... My entire life has been revolved around music...<br/><br/>Lisa: In that case, how about a pillow fight? Everyone can join in!<br/><br/><br/>No. Please no.<br/><br/><br/>Rei: Including you, Imai-san?<br/><br/>Lisa: Of course~! Call me Lisa by the way. No need to be so formal!<br/><br/>Rei: But I am a... second year...<br/><br/><br/>Wait, what. SHE IS THE SAME AGE AS ME??? WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON? FIRST THERE IS KAORU WHO I THOUGHT WAS A DUDE AND NOW THERE IS REI WHO IS MY AGE???</p><p><br/>Lisa: What!? You are younger than me? You were so mature that I just assumed your age.<br/><br/>Y/N: Honestly, I thought you were a college student when I saw you for the first time.<br/><br/>Rei: I get that a lot... hehehe...<br/><br/><br/>She let out a light pathetic laughter. Probably because her mature personality is the reason why not a lot of people hang out with her...<br/><br/></p><p>Lisa: No, no. I meant it in a cool and laid back way...<br/><br/>???: WAKANA REI!!!<br/><br/><br/>We looked around swiftly to check who called Rei out and it was Arisa.<br/><br/><br/>Rei: Oh, the gold star girl.<br/><br/>Arisa: Wha-! Why would you bring that up?</p><p>Y/N and Lisa: Gold star?</p><p>Rei: At our music school, they hand out gold star stickers for exceptional performances. She got more stars than anyone else. How can I forget?<br/><br/><br/>I could see Arisa's face going red hot from the embarrassment...<br/><br/><br/>Arisa: C-Cut it out!<br/><br/>Lisa: Nice going, Arisa!</p><p>Arisa: N-no, I... You see... I was, uh...<br/><br/><br/>She got backed towards the wall and she let out a HEEEE.<br/><br/><br/>Rei: Out of everyone in our grade, you were the most talented.<br/><br/>Arisa: H-hold on!<br/><br/>Rei: I even remember the song that you played at our recital.</p><p>Y/N: Arisa, the prodigy pianist. Nice title eh?</p><p>Lisa: Yeah! It sounds pretty fitting to me!</p><p>Arisa: UWAAAAAA, PLEASE STOP!<br/><br/><br/>And she dashed from our sights and ran away.<br/><br/></p><p>Lisa: What was that all about?<br/><br/>Y/N: It's called a tsundere's outburst, Lisa. It's their trademark and you just saw an example of it.<br/><br/>Rei: Haha! She really was really embarrassed, wasn't she?<br/><br/><br/><b><em>A few minutes later<br/><br/>Sayo's POV<br/><br/></em></b>I and Yukina decided that we try out the 'speciality baths'. Over there, there were multiple huge pots with water-filled and I have to say it's pretty relaxing after all that practise and managing to get positive results at 'Over the Future' festival...<br/><br/><br/>Sayo: We are doing pretty well in the competition, aren't we? RAS aren't very far ahead and the previous performance got us a lot of votes...<br/><br/>Yukina: True. Honestly, we really did overcome a very big obstacle and thankfully we got past it thanks to the people that supported us. Say, what do you think about Y/N, Sayo?<br/><br/>Sayo: That is a surprising question... To be honest, without some of his words we wouldn't be where we are now. He's a really nice guy, but I feel like there is a mysterious aura to him...<br/><br/>Yukina: What do you mean?<br/><br/>Sayo: Have you noticed the scar on his left arm on his wrist?<br/><br/>Yukina: Yes, I did. It's probably just a flesh wound...<br/><br/>Sayo: Also why does he attend a girl's school of all places? That itself is a big mystery...<br/><br/>Yukina: True. But we can't have that all over our head. We need to focus on the competition and the Future World Fes.<br/><br/>Sayo: I agree...<br/><br/><em>I still can't get it over my mind though... why is he is our school? A girl's school at that... I gotta dig in a bit...</em><br/><br/><b><em><br/></em></b></p><p><b> <em>Y/N's POV</em> </b> <b> <em><br/></em> </b></p><p>
  <b> <em>A Few Minutes Later</em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>After I talked to Rei and Lisa, I decided that I would go back to my room and play some games on my phone. Time passed and got out of my room to encounter Rei again.</p><p><br/>Y/N: Oh hey, Rei. Are you done with the bath?<br/><br/>Rei: Oh yeah, I am. Must be bad that you can't go to the bath with girls over there.<br/><br/>Y/N: Eh, it's alright. Baths aren't my thing but can't turn down an invite...<br/><br/>Rei: Aren't we imposing on you? I mean, you are not interested...<br/><br/>Y/N: As I said, I couldn't turn down the invite.<br/><br/></p><p>I know it makes me look like a nice guy, but honestly, I couldn't reject it because Saaya was the one who invited me. If I had rejected it, it would have really damaged the relationship between us and I don't want that to happen...<br/><br/></p><p>Rei: You seem to be a nice guy, Y/N... you consider and value other's feelings... I wish I could do that too...<br/><br/>Y/N: What do you mean?<br/><br/><br/>We found a bench nearby the vending machine and talked over there.<br/><br/><br/>Rei: You might have known what happened between us and Poppin'Party, with Hana-chan missing out on their anniversary performance and all. Honestly, if I were to understand the bond and the feelings Poppin'Party had with Hana-chan, I would have never invited her to play with us. I don't want to be a bother to them...<br/><br/>Y/N: I don't think O-Tae will ever regret the time you guys played together. She keeps telling about how your music wanted her to get better on the guitar. I'll be honest with you, O-Tae is a really talented guitarist and a perfect one for RAS or even Roselia and I would go as far as to say that her potential is hindered by Popipa...<br/><br/>Rei: Y/N...<br/><br/>Y/N: But, there is just more than playing music with 4 other people here. All of them share a strong bond. When one falls, the others support them and help them out through thick and thin. At least, that's what I think what a band is. Look at Popipa now, their bond is stronger than ever now. You go through the rough patches as a band and the strongest bonds prevail...<br/><br/>Rei: I've always been playing support gigs for other bands and honestly I have never been close to any band members until I joined RAS. You are right, it is more than just playing music... but, what is my goal at being at RAS?<br/><br/>Y/N: That is for you to find. See lemme tell you something and only to you, I've felt like something is lacking in your band on the first performance that I watched...<br/><br/>Rei: Lacking? What do you mean?<br/><br/>Y/N: I can't put my finger into it, to be honest, but what I am getting in at is that when the time comes, as the most mature person in the band, you have to lead them. CHU2 is honestly an amazing genius and a prodigy, but, she is immature and having an immature leader can lead you guys to some trouble...<br/><br/>Rei: What do you mean by that?<br/><br/><br/>I can see her curiosity peaking and honestly by this point I am simply running my mouth.<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: Like if you went through a rough patch, then you would need that mature person to fix it. Another thing is the immature actions you do, like what CHU2 did on that RAS vs Roselia live show...</p><p> </p><p>Honestly, I think RAS has the potential to be one of the best bands but as I said, they lack maturity.</p><p><br/><br/>Rei: But, I am not so good with leading people... you know that I am socially awkward...<br/><br/>Y/N: There will come a time where you will throw that away for the sake of the band. That I am sure of. Also, you did ask me what purpose you have in the band. Honestly, every member and every band has their goals and purposes, like how Kasumi is searching for something sparkly and heart-pounding, or Afterglow on how they want to perform at the Budoukan or something. Not only the relationships that you create within your band is precious, but also the ones outside as well. Sometimes that could help you evolve yourself...<br/><br/><br/>Rei started to think pretty deep about what I just said and honestly I was just talking out of my ass and probably none of them even made sense. I hope I didn't come off stupid...<br/><br/><br/>Rei: Thanks, Y/N. It really means a lot. Why don't you become RAS's manager? CHU2 might even pay you...<br/><br/>Y/N: Oh you guys too?! Come on! I'd suck at it so I'm gonna pass...<br/><br/>Rei: Hey its a goo-<br/><br/>???: Rei-san!!!<br/><br/><br/>We turned around in sync to see Kasumi calling Rei... wonder what happened?<br/><br/><br/>Rei: Toyama-san?<br/><br/>Kasumi: Rock overheated on the bath.</p><p>Rei: What?!</p><p>Kasumi: Don't worry, she is resting in our room. The hotel staff was nice enough to give us an ice pack too.</p><p>Rei: Thank goodness...<br/><br/>Y/N: Imagine overheating. You guys are way too excited...<br/><br/>Kasumi: Hehe~!<br/><br/>Y/N: Well, guess I am gonna go to the bath then. See you guys later.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> <b>Rei's POV</b> </em>
</p><p>
  <em>What is my purpose in RAS? Why am I performing for RAS... guess I'll have to search for the reason... <b><br/></b></em>
</p><p>
  <em>Thank you Y/N.<b><br/></b></em>
</p><p>
  <b> <em><br/>Y/N's POV</em> </b>
</p><p>It's already gotten pretty late and night has fallen, so probably by this point, all the girls would have been out of the bath. At least, that's what I hope. The last thing that I want is to be called a pervert while not having any intentions of one.<br/><br/>I went to the open bath since I love the fresh air. I got undressed and dipped into the bath...<br/><br/><br/><em>Ahh it feels so goooooooooood...<br/><br/></em>As much as I am not a fan of baths, this one hits the spot.<br/><br/>I thought I'd start reminiscing about the past few days... First, there was my meeting with Poppin'Party. Then, meeting Roselia and RAS. After that, making that music video for Poppin'Party and then the RAS vs Roselia live. Sayo fell sick afterwards and then after that Saaya confessed to me and now here we are...</p><p>
  <em>It's been one hell of a ride for sure. Even though last year as completely blank and boring, this year really is going off well. I never even thought that I'd be able to make friends and especially girls, after what happened to me. Guess there is hope that I can put it away finally...<br/></em>
</p><p>???: Arisa-san?!<br/><br/>Y/N: That sounded like Eve...<br/><br/><br/>I went to the source of the distressed call and it was on the other side of the bath. Over there I saw Eve with a bamboo tube? Why does she have that?</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: Eve, what happened?<em><br/><br/></em>Eve: Arisa-san has overheated and is drowning!<em><br/></em><br/>Y/N: What?!<em><br/></em></p><p> </p><p>I quickly dived deep into the water. Swimming and diving deep into hot water ain't fun, that's for sure.<br/><br/>Thankfully Arisa didn't fall in too deep and I got her on top until I just realized what I am looking at.<br/><br/></p><p>Y/N: <em>Oh shit, she is naked. Got nice boobs though... STOP IT Y/N!<br/><br/></em>Y/N: Eve, get me a towel real quick! And wrap her up quick!<br/><br/><br/>Eve rushed to get a towel, wrapped her up and we took her inside...<br/><br/><br/>By the time I got into Popipa's room, it's almost like a goddamn hospital. Literally, everyone overheated...</p><p>Y/N: Saaya, Arisa overheated in the bath...<br/><br/>Saaya: We will take care of her, but first, uhhhhh...</p><p>Y/N: What?<br/><br/><br/>She started to look around my abdomen and that's when I realized I was half-naked...<br/><br/><br/>All of a sudden Himari opened up the door.<br/><br/><br/>Himari: Popipa! Your MV is blowing up- Wow, a shix pack...<br/><br/>Y/N: AAHHHHH! I GOTTA GET MY CLOTHES!!!<br/><br/><br/>I dashed out of the room and got some clothes on...<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: Well I am sorry about that but did you say the MV blew up?<br/><br/>Tsugumi: Yes. Your MV has over 10,000 views and counting!<br/><br/>Y/N: Let's go! We did it!</p><p>Saaya: We couldn't have done it without you, Y/N!<br/><br/>Rimi: Yes, thank you so much Y/N-san.<br/><br/>Kasumi: Y/N~!<br/><br/><br/>All of a sudden Kasumi jumped onto me and hugged me. The rest of Popipa followed up and honestly might have been one of my best moments.<br/><br/>And thus the chaotic day ended...<br/><br/><br/><b><em>To be continued<br/><br/><br/>Hey guys, Vic here! First of all, thank you for the support you guys have been giving to the fanfic. It's been blowing up recently and honestly, I am surprised. Also, sorry that this chapter took a long time since it's one mess of an ep in the anime so I had to really think hard and write the new chap.<br/></em></b></p><p>
  <b> <em>Well, that's all for this chapter. Thank you guys for reading and see you all later!</em> </b>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11- Fret</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>Y/N's POV<br/></em>
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</p><p>Saaya: You broke my heart, Y/N. I don't have the feelings I had for you anymore...<br/><br/>Y/N: Wha... Saaya, wait! WAIT!<br/><br/><br/>I thought I caught Saaya's hand but I didn't. Instead, all I saw was the familiar ceiling of my bedroom. That was when I realised that I just saw a dream...<br/><br/><em>Why did I dream of Saaya? I knew that she had feelings for me but, I don't feel the same way. But why did I chase her...<br/><br/>Well, morning soul searching ain't my forte, better get my ass up and get to work.<br/></em><br/><br/>After that bathhouse trip, everyone went their separate ways and been busy ever since then. Afterglow is practising for a local festival, Hello Happy World is doing charity work, Pastel*Palettes with their usual idol stuff, RAS and Roselia grinding out performances for the competition. But, Popipa has been the busiest by far. I heard from Rimi that they are planning to perform for 3 weeks straight so that they can get as many votes as they can and also if possible, catch up to RAS and Roselia.<br/><br/>As for me, well, I bought my guitar! Yes, a .strandberg* Boden J6 Standard. But, I still don't know my chords, so I decided to get my sister's acoustic guitar and started working on my chords with that and then move to the electric guitar.<br/><br/>As much as I would have loved to practise today, I had work to go to. So I got up, took a bath, ate my breakfast and went to work.<br/><br/><br/><b><em>A few minutes later<br/></em></b></p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Live House CiRCLE</em>
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</p><p> </p><p>Marina: Y/N, we got a live show coming up during the evening. Get all the stuff prepared.</p><p>Y/N: Sure! Who all are performing? Roselia, like the usual?</p><p>Marina: We got Roselia and Poppin'Party for today's show.<br/><br/></p><p>Popipa? What are they doing here in CiRCLE? I thought Galaxy was their main venue. Well seeing both of them in action is gonna be pretty exciting!<br/><br/></p><p>Thanks to working here for a bit, I got to learn how to tune the amps and some of the sound systems which comes in handy whenever I play the guitar.<br/><br/>After a couple of minutes, Roselia came by for rehearsal.<br/><br/><br/>Lisa: Hi, Y/N~! Can you reserve a studio for us for a couple of hours?<br/><br/>Y/N: Sure! Remember to not overwork! You guys need to perform...<br/><br/>Lisa: We will keep that in mind~! Don't worry about it.<br/><br/><br/>All of a sudden, Sayo approached me which was a surprise since Lisa handles all the things reservation/planning related.<br/><br/><br/>Sayo: Y/N, can you reserve the studio for half an hour after Roselia's practise? I need to do some solo touch-ups so...<br/><br/>Y/N: I will. I got the same to tell to you that I said to Lisa, don't overwork yourself. I can't piggyback you to the hospital again... unless if you pay me.<br/><br/>Lisa: Ooo~! Y/N making moves~!<br/><br/>Y/N: No, I'm not!<br/><br/>Sayo: I'll keep that in mind, Y/N. Thanks for your concern.<br/><br/>Y/N: Actually, Sayo-senpai... I wanted to ask whether I can watch the solo practise. I bought a guitar recently and I'm still working on my chords... but I wanna see someone who is really precise and fast on the guitar in person so...</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Sayo's POV</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>Wait, Y/N wants to see me play? Oh no, I'm kind of nervous... Wait why am I nervous? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Sayo: Sure, Y/N. I hope you watching me play help you in some way.</p><p><em><br/></em>Y/N: Thanks, Sayo-senpai! I'm looking forward to it!<br/><br/><br/>I feel so happy right now. I see my guitar skills as inferior to Hina's, yet he wants to see mine... this is the first time a certain individual wanted to see me play the guitar... wait that means I can play that song for him...<br/><br/><b><em><br/>A few minutes later<br/><br/>During practice<br/><br/></em></b><br/>We kept rehearsing our songs until Yukina decided to take a break. Honestly, my fingers hurt. Thank god Yukina decided to do so...</p><p> </p><p>Yukina: Sayo, you are better than how you usually do today. Keep it up till the performance.</p><p>Ako: Sayo-san is so cool on the guitar today! So cool!!!<br/><br/>Rinko: Y-yes, Sayo-san. Y-You've been really good today.<br/><br/><br/>I couldn't say anything else. I felt like I was playing like usual and I didn't find anything that different. Is it that I am getting to play for Y/N helping me here?<br/><br/><br/><b><em>Lisa's POV<br/><br/></em></b><em>Ever since Y/N told her that he wants to listen to her play the guitar, she's been playing the guitar way better than usual... come to think of it, she usually very strict and outgoing but when Y/N made that joke, she didn't scold him or anything... if it were one of us, then we would have heard an earful. Is it? No way, there's no way. <br/><br/>As far as I know, Sayo isn't the best at expressing her affection for another person. But does she have feelings for Y/N?<br/></em></p><p>Sayo: Imai-san? Is anything bothering you?<br/><br/>Lisa: N-no no! I was just spacing out a bit. Hehe~!<br/><br/><br/><b><em>A few minutes later<br/><br/>Y/N's POV<br/><br/></em></b></p><p>Two hours have passed and Roselia was done with practice. All of them except Sayo got out. Then, Rinko approached me.<br/><br/><br/>Rinko: Y/N, Sayo-san i-is waiting for you.<br/><br/>Y/N: Thanks, Rinko-senpai. I'll be on my way<br/><br/><br/>To be honest I'm kinda scared to even go in that studio alone with Sayo, even though I suggested it. She's got that cold and serious aura to her that I can't seem to approach her at times.<br/><br/>I went in and I saw her tuning her guitar strings.<br/><br/><br/>Sayo: Oh hello, Y/N. Guess we can get started?<br/><br/>Y/N: Sure. Take it away, Sayo-senpai!<br/><br/></p><p>And thus she started to play the guitar. She played a lot of Roselia songs like Determination Symphony, Brave Jewel, R, LOUDER, and more. All the time, I was amazed by her precision. It's something so unbelievable... she doesn't do anything flashy either. So discipline yet so attention-drawing...<br/><br/><br/>Sayo: I got one last song before I wrap this session up. I came up with it when I was sick so it's still choppy and I haven't given it an official title yet...<br/><br/><br/>She showed me the song and it was so complex. But what drew my attention was the title...</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: 39? Wait a second... San-Kyuu... Thank you? (A/N: In Sino-Japanese System, 3 = San and 9 = Kyu)<br/><br/>Pretty cryptic name if you ask me...<br/><br/></p><p>Sayo: Oh, didn't expect you to figure it out...<br/><br/>Y/N: Ahahaha... I just got lucky.<br/><br/>Sayo: Well, I am about to begin.<br/><br/><br/>And thus she played the solo she had at the start and I was in awe... It was so beautiful, the way she played it was just indescribable. I was really absorbed in it and it went off in a flash...<br/><br/><br/>Sayo: Y/N, you there?<br/><br/>Y/N: Oh, I'm sorry. I was just really absorbed into the performance...<br/><br/>Sayo: How was it?<br/><br/>Y/N: It was... it was amazing, Sayo!<br/><br/><br/><b><em>Sayo's POV<br/><br/></em></b><em>He called me Sayo for the first time. Most people treat me with the utmost respect because of my mannerisms and my behaviour so no one bothers to be so friendly with me other than Lisa and the girls from Roselia and now Y/N decided to call me Sayo for the first time...<br/><br/><br/></em>Y/N: OH- I'm sorry, it might've been weird...<br/><br/>Sayo: No, it's alright. After all, I am the one who told you to call me that.<br/><br/>Sayo: The title... uhh... it is a way of thanking all the people that supported us throughout our journey and this is the song that we are playing to perform at the Budoukan.<br/><br/>Y/N: Wow, that is an amazing idea. To show the love and care for the people that supported you at the end of the journey... truly emotional indeed.<br/><br/><br/>The truth is though, I came up with this song with Y/N in mind. It is my way of saying 'Thank You' to him...</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>It is my way of saying 'I Love You' to him...</em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
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  <b>
    <em>To be continued</em>
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</p><p>
  <em>
    <b>Hey guys, Vic here! Pretty short chapter today since I decided to part the chapters up since there is a pretty important moment going on here and the next few chapters are gonna be very important in their own right. So, I thought that I'd make a mini-chapter! </b>
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    <b>As always, thanks for reading and see you at the next one!</b>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Affection</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>A Few Hours Later<br/></em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Y/N's POV</em>
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</p><p><b><em><br/></em></b>After Sayo finished up her solo session, I went back to the stage setting up the lightings and the sound systems. Time flew by at a pretty breakneck speed as Popipa came by and the audience were in the live house already.<br/><br/></p><p>Ako: Are you okay? Do you need some water?<br/><br/>Rimi: Ah, I'm okay. Thanks for the water!<br/><br/>Y/N: Arisa, you look like a tired grandma. Are you doing alright?<br/><br/>Arisa: WHO ARE YOU CALLING A GRANDMA?!<br/><br/><br/>Should've kept my mouth shut and not awaken the sleeping tsundere.<br/><br/><br/>Lisa: We've heard that you've started playing multiple shows a day. Ah, youth!<br/><br/>Y/N: Ok, boomer.<br/><br/>Lisa: Hey, I might be old but I am not a boomer okay?!<br/><br/>Sayo: You talk about being old and all, but aren't you just a year older...</p><p>Lisa: ARGH.... you guys got me...<br/><br/><br/>Haha, got my revenge!<br/><br/><br/>Yukina: Are you able to perform adequately under those circumstances.<br/><br/></p><p>Yukina asked the question to Popipa, which crossed my mind as well. They perform at Galaxy, run all the way from there to CiRCLE and perform here and then they got practise as well. It's even worse when you are doing it for a month straight...<br/><br/><br/>Kasumi: Yes!<br/><br/><br/>She said that with a pretty serious face, which made me chuckle. </p><p>They got their stuff and it was time to perform. Since I gotta work with the lights, I got out along with them. Just then, I felt like someone tapped my shoulder to see O-Tae behind me...<br/><br/><br/>O-Tae: Wish us luck, Y/N.<br/><br/><br/>Woah, that came outta nowhere. But I understand though since they are under immense pressure playing on the same stage as Roselia, they have to get positive results if they wanna win this uphill battle to the top 2 of the competition...<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: You guys are gonna do well. You've been working your butts off, surely your hard work is gonna pay off.<br/><br/>O-Tae: Thanks, Y/N!<br/><br/></p><p><b><em>A few hours later<br/><br/></em></b>So, basically, Roselia dominated the votings which were quite expected, but Poppin'Party did get some votes from CiRCLE. If they can keep this grind up, they could get enough votes to get into the top 2...<br/><br/><br/>I finally made it back home on what seemed an exhausting day. Never thought that pressing some buttons would get me this beat...<br/><br/>I started to think about Popipa's performance and especially Saaya, who stood out the most. Even though the others were fatigued, her drums kept it lively and that was the glue to their performance. She glowed so brightly on stage and so nice to see that... I wonder if she moved on.<br/><br/>I feel guilty for what I did back then and still question whether not accepting Saaya's feelings was the right move. I keep saying that I want this wound to heal, but it's been 2 years since then and I'm still cursed by it. I wonder if I could even move on from it...</p><p>I've had this thought of, you know, ending it all and giving up but honestly, girl's bands have given me another chance to re-evaluate myself and see this life through and for eternities I will always be grateful.<br/><br/>And with that thought in mind, I slowly went to sleep.<br/><br/><br/><b><em>A few days later</em></b></p><p>Time went by pretty fast and it was a pretty hectic few days for everyone. I've been working pretty hard and we had exams recently as well, which I managed to do well somehow.<br/><br/>Everyone was busy with the performances and I haven't seen the girls a lot or got to hang out. I keep seeing some people at school but I think I haven't seen any members of RAS since the bathhouse.<br/><br/>I was done with class like usual and suddenly Popipa called me over at the gate.<br/><br/><br/>Saaya: Hey, Y/N. You got work today?<br/><br/>Y/N: Nah, it's my off day today. Got nothing to do too.<br/><br/>Kasumi: Perfect~! Why don't you come to our live show today at DUB?<br/><br/>Y/N: Yea sur- WAIT! DUB?!<br/><br/>Arisa: Yea, we were as shocked as you are right now...<br/><br/><br/>I thought DUB was RAS's fortress. Heard no other bands even perform there because of how intimidating RAS was...<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: You do know that we are stepping into the lion's den, right?<br/><br/>Rimi: Well, we are a bit nervous but... we thought it would be tons of fun playing along with RAS!<br/><br/>O-Tae: True. Can't wait to perform with Rei and Rock.<br/><br/><br/>Ah well, as long as they are having fun, I don't mind.<br/><br/><br/>Arisa: Guys, let's hurry up! We need to cross stations and reach there in time.<br/><br/>Kasumi: Oh no! Y/N, let's go!<br/><br/><br/>And I was on the topic of not seeing anyone from RAS for a while... well that problem is gonna get solved.<br/><br/><br/><b><em>A few minutes later<br/><br/>At DUB<br/><br/><br/></em></b>We finally made it to DUB thanks to a few people Popipa knew and they were willing to drop us over here at DUB.<br/><br/>I followed Popipa towards the dressing room, where RAS was.<br/><br/><br/>CHU2: Bold of you to come here, Poppin'Party. How foolish you must be, playing right into our hands...</p><p>PAREO: Like moths to a flame on a warm summer's eve~!<br/><br/>CHU2: That's right!<br/><br/>PAREO: Although it's already winter...<br/><br/>CHU2: NOBODY ASKED FOR YOUR INPUT!<br/><br/>Arisa: What is this, a comedy routine?<br/><br/>Y/N: They are trying to be intimidating but looking stupid in the process.<br/><br/>CHU2: Stop that. Fine, Poppin'Party. Prepare to be beaten to a pulp!<br/><br/>Rock: EEEEEEE, again with the beatin'?<br/><br/>Poppin'Party: Thank you very much!<br/><br/><br/>CHU2 looked with a shocked expression. She tried to instil intimidation and pressure on the other performer because she sees anyone that performs here as an enemy. But Popipa doesn't see it that way. They are more than happy to perform along with RAS... guess being happy go lucky has its advantages...<br/><br/>Suddenly the door swung by and entered Masuki and Rei with some fancy delicacies.<br/><br/>That intimidating and tense aura left the room in a swish and a feeling of friendliness started to spread around the room. That friendliness and positivity that brings a smile out of everyone, that's Popipa in a nutshell.<br/><br/></p><p>CHU2: Stop fraternizing with the enemy!<br/><br/><br/>Suddenly one of the staff members came by.<br/><br/><br/>Staff: Poppin'Party, you are up next.<br/><br/>Kasumi: See you later.<br/><br/>Y/N: Aight, imma go to the crowd. See you guys later!<br/><br/><br/>I looked at CHU2 and she was looking pretty furious. Oh man, immaturity is a pain in the ass, isn't it?</p><p><br/><b><em>A few minutes later<br/><br/></em></b>I know, I know. You guys are getting sick of these 'a few minutes later' shenanigans that have been going on, but I can't describe a one-sided beatdown so...<br/><br/>Anyways, like the live show at CiRCLE, Popipa only got a minority of votes. But the grind seems to be working. They have been getting full house votes in Galaxy and an extra 20-30 at CiRCLE and DUB. <br/><br/>Can't help but praise them.<br/><br/>I walked back home with Saaya this time. It was pretty late and they didn't get much time to practise, so Saaya came along with me on our way back home.</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: Saaya, you guys have been amazing! Like, the live performances at CiRCLE and DUB were so good!<br/><br/>Saaya: Thanks, Y/N! Even though they blew us out of the water, we have been getting votes ourselves and it's pretty good that we are getting those extra few votes. But honestly, we are exhausted and been really pushed to the limits...<br/><br/><br/>Hmm, guess I gotta at least help her out.<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: I know it's pretty late but... how about I make some of my speciality tea back at my home. Trust me it's really relaxing and soothing.<br/><br/><br/>Saaya looked a bit flustered and was blushing. I guess I had to expect it.<br/><br/>After a long pause, she talked.<br/><br/><br/>Saaya: S-sure, I'll take the offer.<br/><br/><br/>We finally made it home and I was at the kitchen making some tea while Saaya sat in the living room. My speciality tea when drank while being exhausted hits the spot like taking a dip on a hot spring. To be honest, I am pretty exhausted too from all that work and stuff.<br/><br/>I finally made them and went to the living room. <br/><br/><br/>Y/N: Here we go, Y/N's special tea for two.<br/><br/>Saaya: Thanks, time to drink! <br/><br/><br/>She took a sip of the tea.<br/><br/><br/>Saaya: Ahhh, that hits the spot. It's so good!<br/><br/>Y/N: Glad to know that you liked it.<br/><br/>Saaya: Ah, this is amazing, Y/N!<br/><br/><br/>As we were drinking the tea, Saaya started to bring up some conversations.<br/><br/><br/>Saaya: You bought a guitar? When did you buy it?<br/><br/>Y/N: A few weeks ago. I am still learning my chords so...<br/><br/>Saaya: Ahaha, that reminds me of Kasumi learning the guitar. If you want, you could ask O-Tae for help.<br/><br/>Y/N: Thanks, Saaya. I'll ask O-Tae to help whenever you guys are free... which looks like never.<br/><br/>Saaya: Well, we are grinding out hard for the competition and you know that. Honestly, I am a bit worried...<br/><br/>Y/N: What's in your mind?<br/><br/>Saaya: I am worried about Popipa. Fatigue's been catching up to them and they go lights out after a performance... I am trying my best to hold them together but... I don't know how much longer I can keep it up. I could lose it any moment and I am worried if I could keep it together when they need me the most... I m-might just break down now...<br/><br/><br/>And she started to cry... She is the backbone of Popipa after all. I thought I would let her cry it all out. But then...<br/><br/><br/>Saaya: Y/N, help me...<br/><br/><br/>She clung to me as she said that. I'll be honest, I don't know what else to do but to give her a hug or a head pat. But I knew I had to do something to help her. She's been holding Popipa together and a broken down Saaya could cause major problems. It's even worse when the band is doing the 3 weeks live and they have to be at their best... guess I'll have to put my guard down. For this one time...<br/><br/><br/>Y/N: Saaya, I wanted to tell you this for a while. I realised it when you were on stage performing with Popipa when you were shining so brightly. You give this warmth to everyone around you, not only Popipa but to people that visit your bakery and even me. You've been the glue that stuck Popipa together and when I see you at your best, I can't feel but feel so happy. I don't know if it is me saying 'I love you', but this is the closest I might get to it. So, Saaya, don't cry and smile-<br/><br/><br/>All of a sudden, I felt like time stopped when something made contact on my lips. My eyes shot wide open when I saw Saaya's royal-blue eyes make contact with mine. Our breaths started to blow on each other's face and we have crossed the forbidden distance. Our tongues started to wrestle each other... and I kept running my hands around Saaya's curly brown hair, embracing her sweet smell of bread. What happened for mere seconds, felt like it went on for eternities. We were giving away parts of ourselves through the kiss... and I didn't think that it would feel this good...<br/><br/>Finally, Saaya got off of me. She ducked her head in embarrassment...<br/><br/><br/>Saaya: I-I'm sorry, Y/N. It came out in the heat of the moment...</p><p><br/>I didn't know what to say. I was shaken to the core. I tried to speak but it felt like there was a void in my throat. I was lost, still trying to recollect myself from what has happened...<br/><br/><br/>Saaya: Hey, I'm-<br/><br/>Y/N: It's alright. Everything happened so quick I'm kind of lost...<br/><br/>Saaya: I gave a part of mine to you, Y/N. I am willing to give everything of mine to you forever. You don't have to answer me now, and I don't mind if it is a no. I love you, Y/N, and thank you for helping me out. I'll see you later.<br/><br/>She picked her stuff up and swiftly got out.<br/><br/>I was lost. I felt like how I did that day. I might have lost my control and would have gone off like I did that day so thank god that didn't go on for longer. I shouldn't have let my guard down like that for too long. <br/><br/>But she seemed to feel relieved from all that worries. It seemed as if all the things that held her down went away and she became her former self. I hope she can find herself back, to the cheery 'old sister' Saaya we all know and love...<br/><br/><br/><b><em><br/></em></b></p><p>
  <b>
    <em>To be continued</em>
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</p><p>
  <b>
    <em><br/>Author's note: Hey guys, Vic here. Sorry for another short chapter but I am trying to get some bits and pieces cleared out when we get to the next arc. And thus why the mini-chapter again. I am very sorry that the chapter took so long since stuff has been happening IRL and I couldn't find the time or motivation to write. I will try to update as soon as possible and I will forever be grateful for your patience and your continued support.<br/><br/>Thank you all and see you in the next chapter.</em>
  </b>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Cracks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>Rei's POV</em>
  </b>
</p><p>Today was supposed to be Hana-chan's birthday, so I, Masuki, Lock and everyone from Poppin'Party except Hana-chan decided that we would throw a surprise.</p><p>Since Masuki was in charge of baking the cake, I gave her the idea of it being like Oddie, her rabbit.</p><p>Masuki: You think it looks weird?</p><p>Rei: No, it's perfect! Thank you so much, Masuki.</p><p>Masuki: No problem. Now let's head to Galaxy before their performance ends.</p><p>I got onto Masuki's motorbike and we headed towards Live House Circle.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>At Live House Galaxy</em>
  </b>
</p><p>We managed to reach Live House Galaxy on time. The first place we headed towards was the back-room. We kept the cake over there and went to watch Poppin'Party's performance.</p><p>We joined along Rock-chan to watch the performance and she had the usual exuberance and enthusiasm as a Poppin'Party fan.</p><p> </p><p>Rokka: Oh, its Layer-san and Masuki-san.</p><p>Masuki: Sup, Lock!</p><p>Rei: Didn't you invite Y/N, Lock?</p><p>Rokka: I heard that he had work today so he couldn't come to join us. He did send his wishes though.</p><p> </p><p>By the time we were all ready to watch their performance, it was about to reach its end.</p><p> </p><p>Poppin'Party: Thank you, everyone!</p><p> </p><p>As they wished the fans, everyone except Hana-chan stayed behind and she was about to exit the stage until-</p><p> </p><p>Kasumi: Hold on a sec, O-Tae!</p><p>Tae: What's wrong?</p><p> </p><p>All of a sudden Kasumi, Saaya, Arisa and Rimi pulled out party poppers and together, they said</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Happy Birthday!</b>
</p><p> </p><p>But Hana-chan looked very confused.</p><p> </p><p>Tae: Happy birthday! Whose is it?</p><p>Kasumi, Saaya, Arisa, Rimi: Ehhh???</p><p>Arisa: Come on! What's today's date?</p><p>Tae: December 4th... Oh! It's mine! Happy birthday, me!</p><p> </p><p>I, Masuki and Rokka let out a sigh together...</p><p> </p><p>Masuki: What was that all about...</p><p>Rei: I was sure today was her birthday too. That scared me.</p><p>Rokka: That scared me too!</p><p>Masuki: Well then, let's head to the back-room now!</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>At the back-room</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Tae: Wow, it's Oddie!</p><p>Rimi: It's so cute!</p><p>Arisa: This cake's amazing!</p><p>Saaya: Massu was the one who baked it!</p><p>Tae: Massu...</p><p> </p><p>They all turned their attention towards us.</p><p> </p><p>Masuki: It was Rei's idea to decorate it like Oddie, though.</p><p> </p><p>Honestly, all I could do after seeing her so happy is to smile back at her. I am glad, though, that we were able to make her jolly with this surprise.</p><p> </p><p>Tae: Thanks, you guys!</p><p>Rimi: We've got presents to give you later!</p><p>Tae: Really, presents too?</p><p>Kasumi: O-Tae, hold up your cake! Lemme get a picture!</p><p>O-Tae: 'Kay!</p><p> </p><p>So, this is what Y/N was talking about. "<em>All of them share a strong bond</em>".</p><p>That was when I remembered that CHU2's birthday was coming up next as well.</p><p> </p><p>Rei: CHU2's up next, right?</p><p>Masuki: I got plans for a HUGE strawberry cake. You're gonna love it!</p><p> </p><p>Even if she might have been bossy or immature, she is still our CHU2. I can't wait...</p><p> </p><p>Tae: Rei! Massu, you too! Come join us!</p><p>Masuki: Sure!</p><p> </p><p>We were about to join that hurdle until Rokka's phone started buzzing...</p><p> </p><p>Rokka: The rankings have been updated!</p><p>Arisa: Already!?</p><p>Saaya: How'd we do?</p><p>Rokka: As of now... Popipa's in 6th place!</p><p>Kasumi: 6TH PLACE!</p><p>Rimi: We did it!</p><p>Arisa: We're finally starting to catch up to RAS and Roselia.</p><p> </p><p>When Arisa mentioned RAS was when I thought that I should look at our rankings.</p><p>I pulled out my phone, opened up the app and saw RAS at... 2nd...</p><p> </p><p>Kasumi: What's wrong?</p><p>Rei: RAS... dropped down to 2nd.</p><p>Arisa: Then that means... Roselia is 1st.</p><p> </p><p>And this was when things would take a turn for the worst...</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>The Next Day</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>CHU2's Penthouse</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>We were called for a meeting on short notice to CHU2's penthouse. We all went inside the studio and were waiting for CHU2 to arrive.</p><p>I was looking through an article about the ranking update from yesterday. The headlines say: "<b><em>BanG Dream Girls Band Challenge! Reaches a Fever Pitch as Roselia Blasts To The Top!</em></b>"</p><p>CHU2 really isn't going to take this lightly, that's for sure.</p><p> </p><p>Masuki: Managed to turn things around us, didn't they?</p><p>Rei: I'm not surprised.</p><p>Rokka: Callin' us on such short notice... CHU2 must be awfully mad...</p><p>Masuki: More like pouting, if you ask me. Probably should've baked her a cake or somethin'...</p><p>???: Not necessary.</p><p> </p><p>We turned around to check who's familiar voice was that and it was indeed CHU2's.</p><p>CHU2 entered the studio with PAREO following her... and CHU2 looks really upset and so did PAREO.</p><p> </p><p>Rokka: CHU2-san...</p><p>CHU2: No problem. Don't worry yourselves. I've figured out a way for us to make a comeback.</p><p>Rei: And that is...?</p><p>CHU2: We're going to launch an attack of our own on the other venues.</p><p>Rokka: An attack?!</p><p>CHU2: The competition is well-aware of our strength. If we pick a fight with the other bands, they're bound to withdraw. No... we'll FORCE them to.</p><p>Masuki: Kinda brutal...</p><p>CHU2: Furthermore, you are to obey ALL of my orders from here on out.</p><p>Masuki: Huh?</p><p>CHU2: I will be taking complete control over your calenders. Contact with the other bands is hereby prohibited.</p><p> </p><p>What? Is this for real...</p><p>Me, Masuki and Rokka shared the same concerns that we had over what CHU2 was saying the whole time.</p><p> </p><p>Masuki: What's your problem?</p><p>CHU2: The schedule has already been laid out. In adherence to this schedule, each of you are to cancel any work-related or personal plans. Starting with tomorrow's performance, we're getting serious. You must do everything necessary to succeed.</p><p> </p><p>We were witnessing someone trying to take away our freedom for the sake of competition, for the sake of music. From this, one thing was clear. CHU2 sees us as mere pawns. It was almost as if we sold our souls to the devil to chase our passion, for the music that suited us.</p><p> </p><p>Masuki: Is this some sort of joke?</p><p>CHU2: This is WAR!</p><p> </p><p>There was only one word to describe this, <b>immaturity</b>. Y/N was right...</p><p> </p><p>Masuki: How petty.</p><p>CHU2: Huh?</p><p>Masuki: This is why we are never gonna beat Roselia.</p><p>CHU2: WHAT?! LIKE HELL WE WILL! WE'VE ALREADY BEATEN THEM ONCE, HAVEN'T WE? And if we fought them a second time, we'd absolutely do it again!</p><p>Rei: I'm not so sure...</p><p> </p><p>If I am gonna be honest here, the only reason we beat Roselia was that their performance pushed us to perform even better. <em>We are lacking that certain something too...</em></p><p> </p><p>CHU2: What? What are you implying?</p><p>Rei: Nothing...</p><p>CHU2: Nobody could win with a cowardly attitude like that! Don't you care about RAS at all?!</p><p> </p><p>That question hit me a lot harder than I thought it would have. Do I care about RAS? What is my purpose here? I'm still searching for it, and yet...</p><p> </p><p>CHU2: And you two are just as bad! Are you going to let RAS fail after we've come this far?! There's no time to prance around Popipa's concerts! There's no time for games! IF YOU AREN'T WILLING TO COMMIT, THEN GET OUT OF MY BAND!</p><p>Masuki: C'mon, CHU2...</p><p> </p><p>Masuki went towards CHU2 to calm her down but all CHU2 did was swat Masuki's arm from her shoulder...</p><p> </p><p>CHU2: You dare defy me?! I am your PRODUCER!</p><p> </p><p>There was a brief silence in the studio until-</p><p> </p><p>Masuki: Is that right?</p><p> </p><p>As she said that, she walked out of the studio. Whether if she would want to come back or not is a thing only she would know...</p><p>Rokka followed Masuki to calm her down and CHU2 ran out of the studio in tears. All I could do is just stand there in my arms tied...</p><p>I am watching my band crumble right in front of my eyes. I am seeing conflicts happening right in front of me, yet I can't do anything. Y/N, I know what you told me is true but... I am hesitant. I've already been a nuisance for Poppin'Party and ruin the relationship between my best friend and her band members and I am scared... I am scared that whether if I do something, we might break down completely.</p><p>The cracks in the ceiling have become too big and someone has to seal it up...</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <b>To be continued...</b>
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</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Amends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>A Few Days Later</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Rei's</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em> POV</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>What should I do...</em>
</p><p>It's been a few days since the whole thing happened and I haven't gone to CHU2's penthouse or seen anyone from RAS after that incident. I know that we are going through a rough patch and all but if don't do something soon, RAS is going to be in trouble.</p><p>As I say that, I can't do anything myself. I am still hesitant and afraid. I am scared that if I step up and speak the wrong words, it could spell the end for RAS.</p><p>I tried my hardest to keep the whole thing out of my mind and focus on practice but it still kept appearing. But that was when I remembered what Y/N said...</p><p>
  <em>"There will come a time where you will throw that away for the sake of the band. That I am sure of."</em>
</p><p>Are you sure you are pinning your hopes on the right person?</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>A few hours later</em>
  </b>
</p><p>I thought it would be a good idea to get out of the house and go to a Live House and practice, but where I was headed was to CiRCLE, so probably, you could say that me going to practice was an excuse. Honestly, I needed to see Y/N after what happened and needed to talk to him about it. Then again, I am really hesitant to do so. What if he would outburst at me after not doing what he told me to do? What if he would resent me for being so weak?</p><p>As I was falling deep into my thoughts, someone snapped me out of it.</p><p>Tae: Rei. Something on your mind?</p><p>That was when I realized that I was daydreaming in front of Edogawa Gakki, one of the places that Hana-chan works part-time.</p><p>Rei: Oh, it's nothing. Nice to see you here, Hana-chan.</p><p>Tae: Rei, you look like something is troubling you. If you want to talk about it, you could do that, you know?</p><p>She's right. I want to talk about what happened to someone. I need to vent all of these troubling thoughts from my mind. But I just-</p><p>Tae: Oh! Y/N! What are you doing here?</p><p>There, I saw someone that I didn't expect to see at all. The man that I set out to see by making an excuse to myself...</p><p>Y/N: Oh! O-Tae! I came here to buy some strings for my guitar. Honestly, how many places do you work at?</p><p>Tae: It's a secret~!</p><p>And then our eyes met. That was when he acknowledged that I was standing there...</p><p>Y/N: Oh, Rei! Surprised to see you here! Came here for equipment?</p><p>Rei: A-actually, I was... about to come over there at CiRCLE so I wanted to... talk to you.</p><p>I don't know why I spoke like that. I felt so shy and nervous because I know once I tell him this, he might hate me for what I did.</p><p>Y/N: Oh, you wanted to talk to me? Well, what's up?</p><p>Rei: Can we uhh... talk in private?</p><p>Y/N: Sure. Guess I'll get the strings later. O-Tae, see you later.</p><p>Tae: See you later, Y/N, Rei.</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>A few minutes later</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>At the park</em>
  </b>
</p><p>I was sitting on a bench while Y/N went to get something to drink for me from the vending machine. These few moments are my last chance to decide whether I need to tell Y/N about what happened or not. I could just divert the topic and talk about something else or I could straight-up talk to him about it...</p><p>Y/N: Hey, Rei? Are you okay?</p><p>Suddenly, Y/N was standing in front of me with a can of coffee in his hands. That was when I realized that I was yet again daydreaming.</p><p>Rei: O-Oh! I'm sorry. I just got lost in my thoughts...</p><p>Y/N: Got a lot to think about? Ah well, you guys might've, since you got overtaken by Roselia recently.</p><p>Of course, he would know. After all, he is working at CiRCLE, Roselia's main venue.</p><p>Y/N: Rei, you know, we are very alike. I mean, both of us are socially awkward, shy and we both love music. So if that makes it any easier for you to talk to me about what happened, I'm all ears.</p><p>This is where I make that crucial decision. Either I can shy away and not talk about it or I could talk to him about it.</p><p>I'm very worried right now and it's honestly very nerve-wracking. But I have to overcome this fear if I have to move forward...</p><p>Rei: Y/N, uhh... RAS is going through a rough patch right now... because we got overtaken by Roselia, CHU2 was about to impose some 'rules' which would have taken our freedom away. But, she asked me a question... she asked whether I cared about RAS or not and to be honest, I was shocked. Singing and performing... I thought I could've taken it seriously but it's as if something is missing...</p><p>Y/N: So you finally started to notice it.</p><p>What?</p><p>Y/N: Remember what I told you at the bathhouse? You guys lacked something? Well, after you told me what happened, it makes it even more evident now.</p><p>Rei: What is it?</p><p>Does he know what we've been trying so hard to find out ourselves? Does he know why we are going through all this?</p><p>Y/N: You guys lack the emotional bonding that the other five bands have. And don't worry if you are going through a rough patch right now. That's definitely going to help your band but it all depends on which person steps up to fix it.</p><p>Rei: Who do you mean by the right person?</p><p>Y/N: You. I've told you this before, as RAS's most mature person, there will come a time where you have to lead the band. Your band is in shambles now because of CHU2's immature actions. It's better late than never now that you have to step up to the plate.</p><p>Rei: But, I'm scared. I'm terrified about the fact that whatever I do could deepen the damage...</p><p>Y/N: If you won't step up, then your band is going to get destroyed for sure. You know what, screw it. Forget that you are the most mature person in the band, you are their vocalist! You are their beacon to show the right path. You are the one to lead them through the darkness and get them to the ray of hope. If you, the only hope that RAS has backed out, then there could be no one to be that gel that holds the band together. You keep talking about how you threw Popipa under the bus and ruined them. Well, look at them now, stronger than ever. Why? Because one of them knew this wasn't right, so they stepped up and patched things up.</p><p>Rei: But what if-</p><p>Y/N: If you gonna keep saying 'what if', then you are gonna end up with 'why didn't I'. Rather than worrying about the unforeseeable consequences, you should be doing what should be the obvious action.</p><p>He patted on my shoulder and told me:</p><p>Y/N: Don't be doubtful now. You have to move forward. For the sake of the people that you love making music alongside.</p><p>He's right. I don't want to end up with regrets because of being hesitant. I have to do it. For RAS's sake.</p><p>But honestly, I can't believe how much you know about our band despite not being in one. You talk about how we are similar but the truth is, we are not. You know how to speak up and fix things, like how you are doing it right now.</p><p>Can you be the one to fill up that one thing that is missing from me? Can you be that one person to step up and talk when this shy weak girl can't speak up? Can you be my knight in shining armour, protecting me from all the danger?</p><p>
  <em>Can you be my future?</em>
</p><p>I held the palm of his hand with which he held my shoulder and told him:</p><p>Rei: Thank you, Y/N. I will definitely fix this up. But... I want to ask you something...</p><p>Y/N: Sure, what is it?</p><p>Rei: I want to talk to you again like this after I am all done fixing this up. Can we?</p><p>Y/N: Sure. I'll be there.</p><p>Rei: Thank you, Y/N. Now here is your reward for helping me out.</p><p>I pulled his arm so that he would swiftly come towards me. I put my lips out and gave him a kiss on his cheek. His cheeks were so soft and so mellow, the moment felt like a split second in heaven.</p><p>But then, embarrassment struck my mind and so, I picked up my bass and got up.</p><p>I felt like my face was heating up and probably getting red. I hid my face in embarrassment and told Y/N:</p><p>Rei: See you later, Y/N.</p><p>I turned around and took a quick peek at his face and he looked so shocked as if he didn't expect that would happen. Well, I didn't expect myself to do it.</p><p>But I did it anyway. I am sick of being doubtful and cowered in fear. I am gonna live my life throughout every moment, without any regrets.</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>A few minutes later</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>At </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>CHU2</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>'s penthouse</em>
  </b>
</p><p>Every time I faced the entrance of the penthouse, I've always had the thought of going in there just to sing. But this time, my motives were different. I am entering the penthouse as a different person to fix what has happened.</p><p>I was walking towards the elevator and I saw Rokka and Masuki standing over there.</p><p>Rei: Lock, Masuki. You guys...</p><p>Masuki: Oh, Rei...</p><p>Rokka: Rei-san...</p><p>Rei: I thought you would never come back, Masuki.</p><p>Her face became red from the embarrassment.</p><p>Masuki: I'm sorry, okay? I just realized what I had to do, being RAS's drummer. I remembered what my old man and Maya-san told me... and as the person that pushes you all beyond your limits, I can't walk out on RAS.</p><p>Rokka: Neither can I. Band music is so cool and I've been experiencin' what it means to have fun like how Popipa does. You bet I ain't gonna let ourselves be like this for so long!</p><p>Rei: Rokka, calm down. Well, let's go inside.</p><p>Masuki: We would like to do that as well, just that the elevator is not opening up.</p><p>Rokka: We don't have any shows today either. If we did, PAREO would have contacted us...</p><p>Rei: Let's try asking Yoroizuka-san.</p><p>Masuki, Rokka: Who?</p><p>Rei: The concierge.</p><p>Rokka: Cornflakes?</p><p>We asked the concierge how to go up to the top without the face recognition denying us and we managed to get to the roof.</p><p>Rokka: Anybody ho- what the?!</p><p>Rei: CHU2!?</p><p>We saw CHU2 laying on the floor almost as if she was dead.</p><p>
  
</p><p>Rei: CHU2, are you okay?!</p><p>We heard a growling noise from her stomach and then she said:</p><p>CHU2: Jerky...</p><p>And she fainted.</p><p>Rokka: I will go buy some right now!</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>A few minutes later </em>
  </b>
</p><p>We got CHU2 some jerky and looks like she hasn't eaten anything at all.</p><p>Rei: Have you been eating properly? Where's PAREO?</p><p>CHU2: I don't know...</p><p>Masuki: Did you call her?</p><p>CHU2: I did but, she isn't picking up my calls...</p><p>Masuki: Are you serious?</p><p>Rokka: No freakin' way!</p><p>Masuki: Try callin' her again!</p><p>CHU2: I DID IT ALREADY!</p><p>Rei: Listen, don't you think something strange is going on? What if something happened to her?</p><p>PAREO is the last person we would expect to abandon RAS and CHU2. Something's not right at all...</p><p>Masuki: Where does PAREO live? What's her address?</p><p>CHU2: ...Kamogawa</p><p>Masuki: Where?</p><p>CHU2: Chiba...</p><p>Masuki: Right, but WHERE in Kamogawa?</p><p>CHU2: ...I don't know...</p><p>Masuki: START PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO YOUR BAND MEMBERS!!!</p><p>She started breaking down in tears and ran to her bedroom...</p><p>Rokka: Masuki-san, CHU2-san was...</p><p>Masuki: Dammit, I know, I know! We're outta options. Let's go, LOCK!</p><p>Rokka: Huh? O-okay! Um, where exactly?</p><p>And they got out to the elevator...</p><p>I wanted to go along with them, but I knew I had something even bigger to deal with. I have to make things clear and put an end to it now. I said it to myself before, I am sick of being doubtful and being cowered in fear...</p><p>
  <em>Y/N... Thank you for helping me build up all this courage. Now, I can make my step forward...</em>
</p><p>I went in front of the bedroom's front door and it didn't seem like CHU2 would open it either, so I started to speak from the outside.</p><p>Rei: CHU2, Masuki and LOCK went to search for PAREO. We should go with them. Even if they find her, none of us are on the same page anymore.</p><p>She still didn't open the door... Oh well, here goes nothing...</p><p>Rei: I've been doing some thinking... Masuki and LOCK have this intense desire to perform in a band. Meanwhile, I joined RAS on a whim, without any goals in mind, desires to drive me or wishes to be fulfilled. I've only contributed with my voice for RAS this whole time...</p><p>CHU2: That's your job, isn't it?</p><p>Rei: But that alone isn't enough to call someone the face of a band. Thanks to you and your hard work as our producer, I got to concentrate on singing and performing. Like Kasumi-chan from Popipa and Minato-san from Roselia, you took on EVERYTHING entailed by the leader of a band. CHU2... I'm sorry for being selfish.</p><p>CHU2: Why are you speaking in past tense... as if it's all over?</p><p>Rei: Because we are going to put an end to this, pretending to be an adult. The Rei you know, who only does what she's told is gone. We will do what is best for RAS, even if it means we would argue with each other! That's why CHU2, I say this as a member of RAS: With the way things are now, our band is finished. Are you happy with that?</p><p>CHU2: ...No...</p><p>I quickly swung the door open and I saw her, on her bed, crying.</p><p>Rei: I want to protect RAS.</p><p>CHU2: I... told PAREO... I told her she was useless to me on her own...</p><p>Rei: CHU2!</p><p>If what she said is true, this is gonna be a big problem.</p><p>I grabbed her hand and got her out of there.</p><p>Rei: This is bad! We are leaving!</p><p>And thus we set out to Kamogawa, where PAREO lives. We needed to hop onto a train or else there was no way we would reach there.</p><p>On the train, CHU2 started to talk again...</p><p>CHU2:You know, LAYER, my parents would give me every instrument under the sun, complimenting me despite my inadequate skills... all those empty words they doted on me meant nothing. All that on my mind was "If I can't play music, I'll put together the ultimate band. If I do everything else myself, they HAVE to recognize my talent". But in search of glory, I threw away the people I cared about... My immaturity led to all this... and it is only right if I fix this.</p><p>Rei: No, CHU2. It's not all about you. We are a band and RAS won't be RAS without the five of us. "When one falls, the others support them and help them out through thick and thin" was what a certain someone told me at the bathhouse. We will fix this together. Also, CHU2, don't forget: you can depend on all four of us as much as you want...</p><p>CHU2: LAYER!!!</p><p>She started to hug me and cry... I honestly feel like a mom holding her kid at the moment... but it feels good to resolve this persisting issue...</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>A few moments later</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>At </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>Kamogawa</em>
  </b>
</p><p>We finally made it to Kamogawa and CHU2 did remember where her house was, so we made haste towards her home</p><p>When we reached there, we saw a familiar short blond-haired and blue-haired girl running behind someone.</p><p>Rei: Let's follow them. Come on, hurry!</p><p>CHU2: <b>*pant*</b> WAIT!!! <b>*pant*</b> I am not... <b>*pant*</b> used to running... <b>*pant* </b>this much...</p><p>CHU2 finally caught some breath and we started to follow them.</p><p>When we looked out, it seemed that they reached a dead-end at the seashore and they were talking to a black-haired girl with long ponytails...</p><p>CHU2: That's PAREO!</p><p>Rei: Wait, that's PAREO!?</p><p>So that's what she looks like when she doesn't dye her hair...</p><p>We almost made it to them until CHU2 fell down, face-first on the floor while tripping on absolutely nothing...</p><p>I checked on CHU2 and when I looked up, I saw PAREO running towards us at full speed.</p><p>PAREO: CHU2-SAMA!</p><p>CHU2: PAREO...</p><p>PAREO: Why...?</p><p>CHU2: Sorry... I went overboard. Please forgive me...</p><p>PAREO's eyes started to fill with tears and hugged CHU2 with full force.</p><p>CHU2: UGH!</p><p>PAREO: CHU2-SAMA!!! I'm sorry for slacking off! I'm sorry for not answering your calls! I'm sorry for causing all sorts of trouble!</p><p>CHU2: Stop it, PAREO! It hurts!!!</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>A few minutes later</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>On the train back home</em>
  </b>
</p><p>I, CHU2 and PAREO got onto the train and decided that we would head back to the penthouse, while Masuki and Lock would come back via Masuki's motorcycle...</p><p>PAREO: Are you getting enough sleep, CHU2-sama?</p><p>Rei: Feel free to take a nap...</p><p>CHU2: No... I'm wide awake. I had no clue you were commuting from this far away... even though I knew your address... In my mind, I didn't care if everyone hated me as long as I created the ultimate band. But the idea that you'd rather hang out with Popipa... The idea of growing even farther apart from the rest of you if things continue this way... It scares me.</p><p>Rei: I am sorry that we made you feel anxious. But it seems we are all just as concerned about RAS. Same for Masuki and Lock. RAS holds a special place in their hearts. RAS is precious to me, too. What about you, PAREO?</p><p>PAREO: I suppose you're right... RAS is important to me. It's fun... I'd love to stay with everyone for a very long time. But in MY heart, nobody can possibly beat CHU2-sama!</p><p>And she proceeds to hug her... Man, what a girl she is.</p><p>CHU2: "No matter how extraordinary the music, no one would hear it without someone around to play it. And since I don't possess the power to play it myself... I have a lot of respect for you guys."</p><p>PAREO: CHU2-sama...</p><p>Rei: Thank you. We prioritized stuff like practice over everything else. We've never sat down to discuss our feelings like this before, have we? From now on, let's try getting to know more about one another and focus on getting strong, together...</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>A few minutes later</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>At </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>CHU2</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>'s penthouse</em>
  </b>
</p><p>We finally made it to CHU2's penthouse and we waited for Masuki and Lock to come so that we could do a little something we planned for 12 AM.</p><p>PAREO: Will they make it in time?</p><p>Rei: I am sure they will.</p><p>And the door swung open and came in Masuki and Lock.</p><p>Masuki: Did we make it?</p><p>Rei: Just barely.</p><p>Rokka: It's so nice and warm...</p><p>We waited for the clock to strike twelve... 3... 2... 1... and it was finally December 7th. The date being CHU2's birthday.</p><p>Rei, PAREO, Masuki, Rokka: <b>Happy Birthday!</b></p><p>She looked pleasantly surprised by the wishes...</p><p>Rokka: Thank god we made it in time...</p><p>Masuki: It's your birthday, isn't it?</p><p>Rei: Did you forget it?</p><p>PAREO: Right this way, CHU2-sama!</p><p>We got onto the studio and got our instruments. PAREO pushed CHU2 into the studio along with her chair and joined us.</p><p>CHU2: Uhh, what are you guys doing?</p><p>Rei: Shhh...</p><p>And we sang our little birthday gift to our beloved RAS member, the one who truly carried the whole band. She may have been immature, bossy and cocky, but she is still our inseparable band member.</p><p>
  <em>This is the song with which we shall show you how much we care about you and RAS.</em>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>To be continued...</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Author's note: Hey guys, Vic here! Thank you for reading the new chapter of my fanfic. I hope you guys liked it! For added context of what happened, I advice you guys to watch the anime.</em>
  </b>
  <b></b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>As always, see you all in the next chapter, bye-bye!</em>
  </b>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Red Hot Streak</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong> <em>A few days later</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>Y/N's POV</em> </strong>
</p><p>I gotta say, all these girl's kissing me left, right and centre is really boosting my ego.</p><p>Ever since that incident with Rei, I didn't see RAS afterwards. But I kept hearing from Popipa that they've gotten their act together and performing more live shows as usual.</p><p>As for what's going on with me right now, I'm here at CiRCLE, bored.</p><p>Maria was about to leave for a meeting for the competition and she told me to man the desk again. Ugh, this is a pain...</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>A few hours later</em> </strong>
</p><p>Literally, no one, and I mean, NO ONE, came by. I am standing here like a statue for a couple of hours until I got really bored of it.</p><p>
  <em>Well, guess I will go pick up my guitar in the back room.</em>
</p><p>I kept my guitar there so I could play it after we were done with the day. But I thought I could be a bit mischievous and play it right now since it's empty here.</p><p>I went ahead and set the equipment up. Plugged in the amp, tuned the strings and done. I was thinking of what to play until I remember hearing an interesting riff from the front desk when Afterglow was practising.</p><p>
  <em>Well, guess I'll try that out.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>A few minutes later</em> </strong>
</p><p>I spent a few minutes getting it perfectly and finally, I played it properly. My fingers hurt like and this was a really tricky song with different techniques and styles of picking...</p><p>???: Woah...</p><p>Y/N: Who's there?</p><p>I quickly turned around to find the source of this voice.</p><p>I saw a familiar short black-haired with a red streak on one of her bangs... It was Mitake Ran, the leader of Afterglow.</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: Oh, Ran. What are you doing here?</p><p>Ran: I came over for some solo practise but I didn't see anyone over on the front desk. I kept hearing someone playing the guitar too so I came to check a certain employee shredding his guitar...</p><p>Y/N: Ahaha... don't tell this to Marina by the way.</p><p>Ran: I won't. Anyways, you just played the riff of our song 'I Knew It' pretty well.</p><p>Y/N: Well, I just heard the riff from the front desk and I dunno why but that was the first song that came to my mind when I thought of playing something...</p><p> </p><p>Probably because I am a garage rock guy, but I love Afterglow's riffs and their guitar. It's got that trashy mid-2000's rock feel to it and I love it so much.</p><p> </p><p>Ran: You w-wanna try out some of our songs?</p><p> </p><p>Huh? That's an unexpected request...</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: I mean, I would love to play some of your songs and all but is it okay?</p><p>Ran: It's okay for me. Well, I got sheets for two of our songs here.</p><p> </p><p>She showed me the tabs for the main guitar and my eyes went wide open.</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: What... is this? Tapping, pinch harmonics, alternate, tremolo and sweep picking and the solos are just shredding...</p><p>Ran: Moca plays all this without breaking a sweat by the way.</p><p> </p><p>Despite her lazy and laid back personality and mannerisms, she must be mad talented with the guitar if she can play all of this...</p><p> </p><p>Ran: So, what do you think? You can play it?</p><p>Y/N: Give me a few days, I need to hear how it sounds like, master the techniques and learn the song.</p><p>Ran: Well, I'll send the sheets to you.</p><p> </p><p>My phone started to buzz and that was Ran sending me the sheets...</p><p> </p><p>Ran: So, what else can you play?</p><p>Y/N: Hmm, there was this certain guitar solo on my mind for a while. Let me see if I can play it.</p><p> </p><p>This guitar solo was actually Rokka's from the school festival. Well, here I go...</p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Ran's POV</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <em>Wait a second, isn't that Rokka's solo from the school fes?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And he started to go at it... he nailed the whole thing, the transition from Raining Blood to Slayer and that crazy tap solo at the end. But it wasn't very clean. It was a lot choppy and needed to be worked upon.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: So? How was it?</p><p>Ran: How long have you been playing the guitar?</p><p>Y/N: I dunno, a few months now?</p><p> </p><p>A few months?! He can play that solo like that in a few months!?</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: Why'd you ask?</p><p>Ran: It's... just that... you were... too good.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> <b>Y/N's POV </b> </em>
</p><p>As Ran said that to me, her face matched the red streak on her hair.</p><p>Y/N: Tough pill to swallow?</p><p>Ran: It's not like that. Anyways, give the two sheets I gave a shot. You should be having some fun with it, especially with the skill that you have.</p><p>Y/N: Sure, I hope so.</p><p>I went back to the front desk, she booked the studio for practice. Meanwhile, I went back to being bored...</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> <b>A few hours later</b> </em>
</p><p>I was finally done with my shift. Marina made it right on time as well. I didn't want to spend another hour there dying of boredom. So, with that in mind, I dashed out back to my home.</p><p>I gotta say, the infamous 'effects of living alone' has started to catch up to me. I kinda miss my mom's food and my old man's cringy ass jokes. I gotta go back there one day or another...</p><p>As I got back home, I went ahead and took a bath, got a fresh set of clothes, popped my guitar off my case and got to check out the tabs Ran sent me.</p><p>
  <em>Hey-Dey Capriccio and Comic Panic, huh?</em>
</p><p>It was riff work for the most part, but it wasn't easy, of course. But when the solo came up, I was literally lost.</p><p>
  <em>What the fuck am I looking at...</em>
</p><p>The amount of technical shit I was looking at was unreal...</p><p>
  <em>Okay, that's it. I'm gonna sleep.</em>
</p><p>Yup, my lazy ass needs time to master it and I can be sure that it's gonna take a lot of time...</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> <b>The Next Day</b> </em>
</p><p>It was finally an off day and I didn't need to drag my ass to work for once.</p><p>I wanted to get some stuff from Yamabuki Bakery but part of me was hesitant to go there, especially after, you know what.</p><p>But then again, I needed some bread asap, so I got up and went out.</p><p>I entered Yamabuki Bakery and I was greeted by Saaya.</p><p> </p><p>Saaya: Welcome to Yamabuki Bakery! Oh, Y/N! Nice to see you!</p><p>Y/N: N-nice to see you... too.</p><p> </p><p>I couldn't do anything else but cover my face in embarrassment whenever I see her because I keep on getting reminded about the kiss that day.</p><p> </p><p>Saaya: You are... still hung up about that day, aren't you?</p><p>Y/N: Kinda...</p><p> </p><p>An awkward silence filled the room. Both of us couldn't say anything, even if we wanted to. If only someone could break this ice...</p><p>My prayers were answered when someone swung the door open. It was the familiar sight of a silver-haired lazy girl that I know.</p><p> </p><p>Moca: Yamabuki Bakery's No.1 Fan, the great Moca-chan is here~!</p><p>Y/N: Oh hi, Moca! Surprised to see you here.</p><p>Moca: Why are you surprised to see Yamabuki Bakery's No.1 Fan here~?</p><p> </p><p>Well, good question.</p><p>She went ahead and bought a lot, I mean, A LOT of bread. I bought some for myself as well and I told Saaya that I would talk to her later.</p><p>Despite Moca's sleepy demeanour, she knows what she is doing for the most part. It was quite evident from the tabs Ran sent me.</p><p> </p><p>Moca: I heard that you were practising my tabs which Ran sent you~? Is the great Moca-Chan's amazing guitar skills too much for you~?</p><p>Y/N: I was gonna ask you about that. Can I watch you play the guitar? After looking at those tabs, I feel kinda lost...</p><p>Moca: I shall show you the amazing guitar skills of mine~!</p><p>Y/N: Cool. Come by my house, it's nearby.</p><p>Moca: Ohohoho~! Y/N's trying to make moves by bringing a girl to his home~?</p><p> </p><p>Now I know why Ran finds her annoying to deal with.</p><p>I got back home and the first thing I did was give her my guitar.</p><p> </p><p>Moca: Ooo, this is a really good guitar~! Mind if we trade our guitars~?</p><p>Y/N: Oh hell no!</p><p>Moca: Joking, joking~!</p><p> </p><p>She started to tune the strings, plugged it in and started playing it. I paid close attention to how she played the solo and I was taken aback by her speed. If only my fingers would move that fast (I see you lood people out there).</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: Woah, Moca. That was so good...</p><p>Moca: Of course, the great Moca-chan is good~!</p><p>Y/N: How did you get this good?</p><p>Moca: Well, I always wanted to keep up with everyone with Afterglow, especially with Ran... she has this passion and drive that is unmatched between us and I knew if I had to keep up with Ran, I had to put out my best...</p><p> </p><p>Despite her flexes, she seems caring.</p><p> </p><p>Moca: Y/N, why did you start playing the guitar?</p><p>Y/N: Because I love the sound of it, I love to play it and I want to give people a good time listening to it...</p><p>Moca: Hmmm, you and Ran are pretty similar...</p><p> </p><p>I didn't want to comment further on what she said. She knows Ran more than I do, so of course, she would only know whether what she said was right or not...</p><p> </p><p>Moca: Now, as payment for playing the guitar, you should buy Moca-chan unlimited supply of bread from Yamabuki Bakery~!</p><p>Y/N: WHAT!!!</p><p>I swear she is a pain.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>A Few Hours Later</em> </strong>
</p><p>After I dropped Moca off, I got back home and I've been practising the two songs the whole day. I looked at the clock and it was almost 12 AM.</p><p>
  <em>Guess I'll give it another go.</em>
</p><p>And thus I attempted to play the guitar solo of Hey-Dey Capriccio again. I was expecting myself to screw it up again but someone I nailed it. I do surprise myself at times but this was an absolute shocker.</p><p>Since I was getting it right, I thought I'd try playing Comic Panic's guitar solo as well and I managed to play that perfectly as well. I go the techniques spot on, the speed, everything.</p><p>But after playing those two songs, a riff started to play on my mind. It wasn't any song written by Afterglow but it had a very Afterglow vibe to it.</p><p>
  <em>Fuck I need to write these down.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And thus I began...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>High E, 18-17 with a pull-off, A, 18, D, 19, A, 18, D, 17-15... </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>The Next Day</em> </strong>
</p><p>I didn't remember exactly when I dozed off but I woke up with the notebook right on my face. I lifted my face up and I couldn't believe that I wrote a whole song...</p><p>The first thing I did was take a photo of it and message Ran.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>Ran's POV</em> </strong>
</p><p>It was 9 in the morning when I got a message from a person I didn't expect to get a message from. It was Y/N.</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: Hey Ran, I finally got to play both the songs properly</p><p>Wait, what!?</p><p> </p><p>Ran: Woah, good job!</p><p>Y/N: While I finished up both the songs, a riff came up on my mind. Mind checking it out?</p><p> </p><p>A riff? Well, better give it a look.</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: <em>Sent random_ass_riff.jpeg</em></p><p> </p><p>Wow, he's got no naming sense, that's for sure.</p><p>I opened it up, I was shocked when I started to read the tab. It had everything, pinch harmonics, pull-offs. He literally wrote a song in a span of a few hours.</p><p>I picked up my guitar and tried playing it.</p><p>I loved everything about the song, the slow start with the high notes, the steady increase in pace. The song started to piece up on my mind already...</p><p>
  <em>As expected from Y/N...</em>
</p><p>I've always felt like I had something reserved for Y/N in my heart... I kinda have feelings for him, but for what? I love his guitar skills, even though it is choppy. But, is having feelings for someone because of their guitar skills... I don't feel it's right. I want to get closer to him, get to know him better. Not only as a guitarist but also as a human being.</p><p>
  <em>Now, what should I name this song?</em>
</p><p>From hearing this song, it felt like Y/N's a part of our band. The tab had all the things that Moca would do. It had the Afterglow feel to it as well. It almost feels like he is one of us...</p><p>Wait, that's it.</p><p>
  <em>ONE OF US.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> <b>To Be Continued</b> </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>Author's Note: Hey guys, Vic here. As of the release of this chapter, Ray of Hope is back in business. I missed writing a lot and I am so happy to be able to write again.</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>Even though I didn't write for a while, a lot of you guys decided to support my fanfic and Heroic's as well and I am so happy that you guys keep supporting me.</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>I hope you guys safe and have a nice day.</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>Peace!</em> </strong>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Past</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <em>Y/N's POV</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Today was the much-awaited day for every girl's band in Japan... it was time for the results of the preliminaries to come out. Marina and I were in the lobby, waiting for the results.</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: Say, Marina-san... what are you doing here? I thought that you would be with the council or something...</p><p>Marina: I just wanted to see the results with my adorable and reliable employee, is there any harm in it?</p><p>Y/N: Yeah... pretty sus.</p><p>Marina: Sus? Is that what you kids say these days? Gotta keep that in mind...</p><p> </p><p>Oh god, here's hoping she won't turn out like my old man...</p><p>And then the countdown for the results began. 3, 2, 1...</p><p> </p><p>Marina: What the...</p><p>Y/N: Is this supposed to happen?</p><p>Marina: Oh boy, there's gonna be a call for an emergency meeting for sure. Because this wasn't predicted at all...<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>We were looking at a result that most probably had the least odds of happening. A tie. Basically meaning that they had the same amount of votes, down to the last digit...</p><p> </p><p>1. Roselia<br/>
2. RAISE A SULEN</p><p>2. Poppin'Party!</p><p> </p><p>All of a sudden, my phone started to vibrate. I was getting a call and it was from Kasumi.</p><p> </p><p>Kasumi: Y/N! WE DID IT! WE ARE GOING TO THE BUDOUKAN!!!</p><p>Arisa: Kasumi!? Stop shouting on the phone!</p><p> </p><p>Well, they are happy as always.</p><p> </p><p>Rimi: Well, it wouldn't have been possible without Y/N helping us with the MV...</p><p>Tae: Without the Popi-V, we wouldn't be here...</p><p>Y/N: Jeez, you guys forgot the hours you put into practice and performing at multiple live houses on the same day? You guys got this far because y'all squeezed out every vote you can get from the fans, not solely from the MV.</p><p>Saaya: Ahaha, Y/N with the big talk right now.</p><p>Y/N: Have fun celebrating but don't forget that you guys still have to perform at the Budoukan.</p><p>Kasumi: Y/N is slowly turning into Arisa...</p><p>Arisa: Kasumi!!!</p><p> </p><p>And she hung up the phone. Guess she got bonked on the head or something. Looks like they are being their usual self...</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: Marina-san? Since only two bands are allowed to perform, what are you guys gonna do?</p><p>Marina: Yeah, we might have a meeting to discuss that matter. It might be a long one too...</p><p>Y/N: Welp, I hope it goes well.</p><p> </p><p>Well, one thing we knew for sure was Roselia going to perform at the Budoukan. So, I picked up my phone and called Yukina.</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: Hi, Yukina!</p><p>Yukina: Hello, Y/N. It's pretty rare to get a call from you. You might've heard the news...</p><p>Y/N: Yes, I did. Congratulations on making it to the finals!</p><p>Yukina: Well, it's not anything surprising. We are Roselia, after all.</p><p>Y/N: You know, you can be a bit ecstatic or something...</p><p>Yukina: Well, I do wanna thank you though... You helped us when we were in that difficult situation and honestly, I don't think our band would have been doing so well if it weren't for your help so... we are in your debt.</p><p>Y/N: No, you guys are not. I just helped my friends that's all. That's what all friends do under normal circumstances. Anyways, it's good to know you guys are doing really well. Anyways, I'll call you back a bit later, I'm in the middle of my shift so gotta get back.</p><p>Yukina: Goodbye then.</p><p> </p><p>And I hung up the phone. Well, good to know that they are back to their usual mojo.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>A Few Hours Later</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>I was done with my shift. There wasn't much that went on today other than the results being announced. Yes, I am bored to death. Can't wait to go home and practise.</p><p>That was when my phone started to buzz again and surprisingly, it's from an unknown number. I swear to god if it is an Indian dude with a fake English accent telling me my computer has a virus or something,...</p><p> </p><p>???: Hello? Is this Y/N's phone?</p><p>Y/N: Yes, who's speaking?</p><p>???: It's me, Rei from RAS.</p><p> </p><p>Oh damn, that's a pleasant surprise...</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: I'm curious as to how you got my number?</p><p>Rei: Oh, Hana-chan gave it to me.</p><p>Y/N: Oh, O-Tae sent it to you... Ah, I just remembered. Congrats on making it to the finals!</p><p>Rei: Thanks Y/N. I was gonna call you in regards to that...</p><p>Y/N: What's up?</p><p>Rei: I actually wanted to thank you for helping me out. If it weren't for you talking to me that day, I would have never spoken up and RAS would've been disbanded...</p><p>Y/N: It's alright. I've said this to a lot of people today, I just did what a friend would normally do, that's all.</p><p>Rei: Also, you remember what I asked you before... about meeting you?</p><p>Y/N: How about that after your Budoukan performance? You can keep your head in practice and not get bothered by it.</p><p>Rei: I was actually going to ask you the same thing. Ever since we resolved our issue, we've been trying to spend more time together.</p><p>Y/N: That's good to hear. Well, nice to know that you guys are doing okay now.</p><p>Rei: Well, it's thanks to-</p><p>???: REI!!! GET BACK IN THE BOOTH, WE GOTTA SMASH ROSELIA AND POPPIN'PARTY INTO A PULP.</p><p>???: Again with the pulp?!</p><p>Y/N: Sounds like CHU2 is at it again. Welp, I ain't holding you up. See ya later.</p><p> </p><p>And that was the end of that. Well, when did I become such a problem solver? I was laughing at that thought pathetically because I've been solving all their problems so much, I forgot that my problem is still persisting after two damn years...</p><p>I almost approached my apartment when I saw a woman standing in front of it. She had long black hair, almost to her hips, from looking at her from the sides she had glasses too.</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: Hey, you looking for someone?</p><p> </p><p>She turned around and faced me. My brain felt like it had a short circuit, almost as if it became numb. My fingers were shivering and my legs all of a sudden lost all strength to keep me up. Because I saw the face of the girl that I never wanted to see again... It was the human trash that was <b>Hanabi Minagawa.</b></p><p> </p><p>Hanabi: Ah, if it isn't my dear Y/N? How long has it been, two years? I missed you so much!</p><p>Y/N: I didn't miss you at all though...</p><p>Hanabi: Oh, so harsh? Why are so mean to the girl you lost your virginity to?</p><p> </p><p>She said that with her stupid. malicious smile.</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: YOU... fucking hell...</p><p>Hanabi: Now, now. Let's try to keep calm. You don't want to have another criminal record to be rumoured around. Haha, imagine: the latest one being domestic abuse, the other one being rape.</p><p> </p><p>I couldn't raise my head up. I was looking at the floor with shame, anger and regret. If only I didn't succumb to the lust I had for her. If only I knew a bit earlier that she was a fucking scum...</p><p> </p><p>Hanabi: I've heard that you are at a girl's school now? So, how many of them did you rape? Oh, I forgot! You are hanging out with a group of girls who seems to be in a band or something right? Made a harem to rape them and destroy their innocence?</p><p>Y/N: HOW THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW ALL THIS?!</p><p>Hanabi: Let's just say... I always have an eye on you. After all, you are the one who led me to the path I am now. I would have never had the pleasure of exploiting men's lust if it weren't for you! Your suffering is something very special to me...</p><p>Y/N: Please don't involve them in this. It's just between you and me... please.</p><p>Hanabi: Oh? Is the iron-headed harem leader Y/N about to cry and beg? Wow, so pathetic that I could laugh my ass off!</p><p> </p><p>I've almost rebuilt my life. I tried so damn hard too. I don't want them to know what happened too. Not everyone is as forgiving as Saaya is...</p><p> </p><p>Hanabi: Don't worry! It's stupid to spoil the fun so quickly, isn't it? I'm gonna let you off the hook... but always remember: you are on limited time. I can't wait to see you fall into despair! Ahahaha, it's such a delightful sight that I want to see!</p><p>Y/N: You bitch...</p><p>Hanabi: Now, don't be rude! Anyways, ciao for now! I'll be seeing you later...</p><p> </p><p>She slowly walked away from the isle... I was standing there, legs shaking, sweat running through my forehead. I didn't know how I made it to my room but somehow I did. I usually jump onto my bed but now, I can't relax. My heads were filled with the thoughts of 'what if she tells them about it.' I was panicking from that thought alone...</p><p>I felt like I wanted to puke. I ran to the toilet and I puked for so long... I felt so fucking sick and pathetic I didn't know what the hell was happening...</p><p>I went back to my bed feeling a bit dizzy. I stared up at the ceiling and unlocked some old memories that I thought I locked away forever...</p><p> </p><p>Hanabi and I were childhood friends. Her family and ours were very close, her mom and my mom were colleagues as well. I used to spend a lot of time in my childhood with them, playing games, talking sports, eating food.</p><p>But then, as time passed, we started to drift apart. We both were in study hell, trying to get good grades and such. Hanabi had it the worst. She was forced to study almost the whole day without catching a break... Goes to school, comes back just to study again...</p><p>I've always liked her as a friend. She was pretty, seemed smart and was nice. But when my sister left for college and my parents started to get busy, I started to feel lonely. And worse, I was at that age too. I was starting to lust for her...</p><p>One day, before I headed to school, she came up to me:</p><p> </p><p>Hanabi: Hey, Y/N... Can we talk at my home after class? It's pretty important so... will you be there?</p><p>Y/N: Sure! I'll be there<em>.</em></p><p> </p><p>After class ended, we walked back home. It was an awkward few minutes filled with silence.</p><p> </p><p>Y/N: Isn't there anyone at home?</p><p>Hanabi: No. Papa and mama left for work as usual so...</p><p> </p><p>I knew something was going to happen but I just said whatever in my mind.</p><p>We finally made it to her home and I sat down on her sofa. She sat alongside me and started to talk...</p><p> </p><p>Hanabi: Y/N... I... kinda love you. I've been having feelings for you ever since we were little and since we haven't seen each other in so long... this feeling amplified...</p><p>Y/N: Hanabi, I love you too. I accept your feeling and don't worry, it is mutual as well...</p><p>Hanami: Oh, Y/N! I love you!!!</p><p> </p><p>She jumped onto me and the first thing that came into contact were our lips. We slowly opened it and our tongues were in each of our mouths. We were finding joy in what adults would do... but children don't know what the repercussions of this action are. I went out, got a condom, she removed her panties and you know the rest...</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>A few hours later</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>I was studying like usual until my mom got a call...</p><p> </p><p>Mom: Y/N, I'll be back in a bit.</p><p>Y/N: Sure, mom!</p><p> </p><p>When she left, all that was left in my mind was the thing that we did. I was wondering how long would we be diving deep into this pleasureful activity. But, god damn, that aged well.</p><p>My mom came back home but she was crying? I have never seen my mom cry so I was curious.. until I had the worst-case scenario in my mind. I was praying to god that wasn't the case but to my regret, that was what had happened...</p><p> </p><p>Mom: Y/N, WHY DID YOU DO IT?! OH GOD, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE???</p><p> </p><p>That sight broke me. My mom, shouting at me with tears... I was annihilated.</p><p>My dad knew about it but he seemed relatively calm about it. He told me it's because of my age and all... until one day. He told me that I had to ask for their forgiveness for what I did, for raping her. Yes, that was the claim... I knew it wasn't true but what can I do? A women's voice is much stronger and loud than the voice of a man. We also live in a society where it's guilty until proven innocent...</p><p>I went to their home and saw her dad furious... I couldn't face him at all... He then described what happened to my dad. I asked her if I could meet her at home. I said that I loved her and she said she didn't. Then I became furious about it, so I held her down, wore a condom, tore her panties and forcefully had sex with her...</p><p>I was sick to my stomach when I heard that lie... All that was going through my mind was 'Why should I apologize for what I didn't do'.</p><p>Finally, he faced me:</p><p> </p><p>???: HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO MY DAUGHTER, LET ALONE YOUR FRIEND?!</p><p> </p><p>I couldn't answer him. I was scared, so scared that there was a void in my throat, disallowing me to speak.</p><p> </p><p>???: WHY ARE YOU SITTING THERE SILENTLY, APOLOGIZE TO HIM NOW!!!</p><p> </p><p>That was the first time I heard my dad that furious and emotional. It sent shivers down my spine...</p><p>I quickly got onto my knees, put my head down to the floor and apologized profusely. I quickly took a glance up top, her mother was filled with tears, her dad with fury and her face will be something that I will never forget. She had a small, smug smile on her face... That was the moment that I confirmed it: she was fucking trash.</p><p>Rumours spread around like forest fire. I was picked on at school, being called a rapist. My friends abandoned me, telling me that they don't want to be associated with a rapist...</p><p>I thought that was it. My life should have been over by then because I tried to end it myself. I slit my wrist, dipped it in water and I was thinking 'Damn, I wonder how peaceful the afterlife is going to be' before I fell unconscious.</p><p>Of course, if you weren't aware that I am speaking right now, my suicide attempt was a failure. This would be my second attempt at life... I moved here, attended a new school, made new friends.</p><p>Until she came back to my life... to ruin it all and to make it a living hell again.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>To Be Continued</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>What's up everyone, Vic here! Sorry for taking so long to update. I was having a few issues. First off: my laptop has a broken GPU, so I had to see if I would be able to fix it up, which I can't. So, I have to buy a new one. Second: I was busy dealing with my podcast stuff...</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>I finally got the time to write my new chapter! Hope I ain't too rusty and thank you guys for being so patient! Hope y'all loved it and I will see you all in the next chapter! Peace!</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p>
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